Final act to Huguette Clark story

For those who have followed the very interesting story of Huguette Clark, here is one final piece to the puzzle:  her will.

See the NY Times on it (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/nyregion/huguette-clark-left-wealth-for-art-charity-and-to-nurse.html) or the various other news outlets – just do a google search.

After reading a few articles, I doubt family of Ms. Clark will be challenging the will.  Imagine how infamous they will get – the family that had literally nothing to do with their long lost great, great, half-aunt, probably never even met her once, wants to take her money from the mainly charitable interests and personal friends?

Here is a copy of her will – I find reading them pretty interesting:

HuguetteClarkWilldatedApril192005

Anyway, my former employer, Beth Israel Medical Center – which had been Ms. Clark’s residence for over 20 years – was named for a bequest of $1 million.  A little anti-climatic for me but still a very signficant gift.  It could have easily been in the tens of millions.

Let’s see if those long lost relatives challenge the will.  I think the way Holland & Knight released the will so publicly really set the stage to block a will challenge.  The family had pushed through the press that the lawyer and accountant were bad, before she even died to challenge what they did.  But, in the end, the will and all of the stories around Ms. Clark all support the fact that she knew exactly what she was doing and who she wanted her bounty to go to.   And, it was clearly not the long lost great great half neices and nephews.

 

One comment

  1. Interesting story and Will–I suspect you are right that the estate has made the Will so public in part to forestall any challenges.

    Coincidentally, I was in Los Angeles recently and happened to visit the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, a magnificent stand-alone research library Huguette’s older half-brother bequeathed to UCLA in 1934. Even in recent press information from UCLA, this gift is listed as one of most significant in the university’s history. William, Jr., was also one of the founders of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and had a hand in the creation of the Hollywood Bowl. A generous legacy in anyone’s book and one that may be matched by his younger half sister once her foundation is up and running.

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