The Storied Life (and $300 Million) of Heiress Huguette Clark

We recorded a story in September about extraordinary wealth that's led to a courtroom fight over one of America's great, but often forgotten, fortunes.

Bill Dedman is a reporter who was looking for a house outside New York City. He and his wife were amusing themselves with real estate listings so big they boggled the mind. Then they discovered a place in New Canaan, Connecticut — reduced from $35 to just $24 million. This was in 2009 — but, when they visited, they discovered the house had not been occupied since the owner bought it in 1951. Dedman has captured the mystery of it all in

Empty Mansions

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Since that interview aired in September, a tentative settlement was reached in the matter of Huguette Clark's will. Under the deal, her family gets $34.5 million; her lawyer and accountant get nothing; and her nurse will keep more than $30 million. The mansion in Santa Barbara would become a foundation to support the arts.