Hospital Accused of Scheming to Take Money From Millionaire Huguette Clark

Recently, a suit was filed in court by Huguette Clark’srelatives alleging that the hospital that treated Clark wasscheming to take money from Clark’s $300 million dollar estate. Clark wasadmitted to Beth Israel Medical Center in 1991 when she was found in her apartment very ill. She was treatedfor skin cancer and subsequently stayed at the hospital despite not having amedical basis to do so.

Huguette Clark died at age 104 after living in BethIsrael Medical Center in Manhattan for twenty years. During the twenty-year stay, Clark wasapproached for donations to the hospital. In fact, she gave over four milliondollars in cash donations, a painting worth six million dollars, and leftanother million to the hospital after death. Moreover, the nurses tending toClark received roughly twenty eight million dollars in gifts, and the doctor’sfamilies were given an additional three million dollars. If that wasn’t enough,Clark was also charged $800 a day to stay at the hospital. The hospital spokespersonreleased a statement claiming that the individuals bringing the lawsuit aredistant relatives with whom Clark did not associate. Further, thepress that this suit is receiving is concerning because Clark chose to live a very private life. The hospital administration values private philanthropy and isgrateful for Clark’s contributions. 

See Ryan Grenoble, Were Huguette Clark’s Donation to Beth Israel Part of a Hospital Plot to Game the Elderly Heiress, Huffington Post, May 30, 2013.

Special thanks to David S. Luber (Attorney at law, Florida Probate Attorney Wills and Estates Law Firm) for bringing this article to my attention.