A New York court has declined a request by three animal-welfare groups to reopen a case regarding the charitable trust established by the late hotel mogul Leona Helmsley, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Ms. Helmsley’s will requested that a significant portion of her trust benefit the care of dogs; however, claim the animal charities, the foundation’s trustees have since awarded only $100,000 of the $450-million thus far granted by the trust to canine welfare. The decision by the New York County Surrogate’s Court turned back a motion filed jointly in 2009 by The Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA (the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and Maddie’s Fund to intervene in a legal proceeding that allowed the trustees to disregard Ms. Helmsley’s stated intentions for her philanthropy.

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, in New York, had assets of nearly $3.4-billion in 2009, according to The Chronicle’s 2010 foundation survey.

“The lower court ruling is a setback, but this is just the beginning of this legal battle,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society, in the charity’s written statement. “Giving just one-fiftieth of one percent of the trust’s grants to dog-related organizations is a trifling amount, and contrary to Leona Helmsley’s expressed intentions.”