A historical society lacks standing to seek in court the right to claim financial support for a 10-acre Long Island manor from a foundation created by the man who once owned the property, the Appellate Division, Second Department, ruled Wednesday.

In a decision reversing a lower court, the Second Department clarified the narrow circumstances under which a potential beneficiary of a trust, rather than the state attorney general, can file suit to enforce the trust's intent.

The dispute in Sagtikos Manor Historical Society v. Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, 16632/12, centers around Sagtikos Manor, a property in West Bay Shore formerly owned by the late Robert David Lion Gardiner.