Huguette Clark, the eccentric and reclusive copper mining heiress who died in May 2011 at the age of 104, signed two Last Will and Testaments within six weeks of each other, one on March 7, 2005, and the other on April 19, 2005.
Ms. Clark, who was married briefly at the age of 22 but never remarried or had any children, is estimated to have been worth about $400 million at the time of her death. She was survived by 21 intestate heirs (13 half-grandnieces and half-grandnephews and 8 half-great-grandnieces and half-great-grandnephews), who were the residuary beneficiaries of the March 2005 will but were completely left out of the April 2005 will.
Read on to find out what Ms. Clark's brief, 5-page March 2005 will says.
Summary of the Contents of the March 2005 Will of Huguette M. Clark
- All prior wills and codicils are revoked - note that this is standard language in any properly drafted will. Apparently the last time Ms. Clark signed a will was in 1929 in which she left everything to her mother. Her mother died in 1963, so under that will everything would have passed to the 21 intestate heirs had she failed to make a new will.
- Ms. Clark makes a specific bequest to her "dear friend and companion" Hadassah Peri, such that if Ms. Peri had not received $5 million from Ms. Clark from the proceeds of the sale of her property located in New Canaan, Connecticut, prior to Ms. Clark's death, then Ms. Peri was to receive $5 million after Ms. Clark's death.
- The rest and remainder of Ms. Clark's estate is simply left to the people who would share in her estate had she died without making a will, meaning Ms. Clark's intestate heirs. Under New York law, which is where Ms. Clark resided at the time of her death, this means that that the 13 half-grandnieces and half-grandnephews and 8 half-great-grandnieces and half-great-grandnephews would share in the rest and remainder of Ms. Clark's estate.
- Attorney Wallace Bock and accountant Irving Kamsler are named to serve as Co-Executors of the estate.
More on Wallace Bock and Irving Kamsler
In 2010, at the request of some of Ms. Clark's relatives, Mr. Bock and Mr. Kamsler were investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for the mishandling of Ms. Clark's financial matters. While no criminal charges have been filed, that investigation still continues today.
Aside from this, in 2008 Mr. Kamsler was convicted of attempted dissemination of indecent materials to minors, which is a felony. Nonetheless, Mr. Kamsler received a "Certificate of Relief from Civil Disabilities" in 2009 and is still licensed to practice as a CPA in the State of New York. According to an affidavit filed by Mr. Kamsler in Ms. Clark's probate proceeding which is being administered in New York County, Mr. Kamsler states that he disclosed his conviction to Ms. Clark in writing by a letter dated February 20, 2009, and she acknowledged receipt of the letter on March 5, 2009.
Intestate Heirs Are Seeking to Challenge the April 2005 Will
The 21 intestate heirs received a copy of the March 2005 will after the April 2005 will had already been filed for probate, and they are in the beginning stages of challenging the validity of the April 2005 will in which they are left nothing. If you view the copy of the March 2005 will in the link provided below, you will see that someone scrawled across the first page the word "REVOKED" and also drew a line across the page.
Read a copy of the March 2005: Last Will & Testament of Huguette M. Clark, signed on March 7, 2005.
Read a copy of the April 2005 will and other probate filings, including the affidavit signed by Irving Kamsler: Last Will & Testament of Huguette M. Clark, signed on April 19, 2005.
Read a summary of the contents of the April 2005 will: What Does Huguette Clark's April 2005 Will Say?
Information for this article is derived from the following:
A $400 million twist: Huguette Clark signed two wills, one to her family
