Westport Man, Retired Doctor Milked Heiress for Millions; Lawsuit Filed

While being head of surgery at Beth Israel North in New York, Dr. Jack Rudick reportedly received in $1.9 million from an elderly copper heiress, Huguette Clark, who resided at the hospital for two decades until her death at age 104, according to a report in the New York Post.

Rudick’s wife, Irene, also received $210,000 from the heiress, despite never having met her. The Rudick’s live in a $1,000,000 condo located at 17 Terra Nova Circle. The 3,300 square foot condo is located within a gated community in Westport. They moved to Westport in September 2009 from Cresskill, New Jersey, according to Westport property records.

New York City Public Administrator Joy Thompson is overseeing Clark’s $306 million estate. She is seeking the return of the funds given to Rudick and his wife.

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Rudick, 78, who was Clark’s favorite doctor, began treating her in 1991. He received numerous checks from the heiress during the 1990’s. He received checks for $20,000 in 1997; $85,000 in 1998; and $50,000 in 1999, according to the report.

In 2001, Rudick reportedly received a $500,000 loan, which was never repaid. Rudick got another $500,000 loan under the same terms in 2002 and never repaid his debt, the report states.

Rudick, who graduated from medical school in South Africa in 1957, continued to collect from the heiress even after his retirement in 2002. He reportedly received a total of $330,000 between 2004 and 2008, according to the report.

The battle over Clark's will, which left nothing to her family, became heated in the months after her death with family members attempting to contest Clark's wishes. 

More than a year after the heiress passed away, Le Beau Château, Clark's 52-acre estate located 104 Dan’s Highway in New Canaan, is on the market for a hefty $24 million and in the hands of the Public Administrators Office of New York City.

Clark's father, William Andrews Clark, financed the Los Alamitos Sugar Factory and was at one time considered the equal of John D. Rockefeller in wealth. When he died in the mid 1920s, he was still the fifth richest man in America, according to the NY Times.