The court of appeals affirmed. The court first discussing standing to sue over a charitable trust:
No party disputes that the Cao Dai organization in question, for which Trinh is the founder and director, is a “charitable trust”. This is particularly significant because the attorney general “is the representative of the public and is the proper party to maintain” a suit “vindicating the public’s rights in connection with that charity.” A private individual has standing to maintain a suit against a public charity only if the person seeks vindication of some peculiar or individual rights, distinct from those of the public at large. Moreover, a private individual must similarly establish standing in a case such as this, brought against the trustee of a public charity in connection with their office or service.
Id. The court concluded that whether framed as a fraud or breach of contract claim, the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue for the return of their donations:
Based on the holding in Eshelman, we conclude the Temple Donor Parties’ allegations and proof for their fraud claims pertaining to their donations to a charitable fails to establish standing to bring their claims (whether under a fraud theory or conditional gift theory); that is, the facts alleged and undisputed do not vindicate of some peculiar or individual rights, distinct from any other donor or from the public at large.
Id.
