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Polo club founder Goodman adopts his adult girlfriend
Polo club founder John Goodman has adopted his longtime adult girlfriend as his legal daughter in what plaintiff's attorneys are calling an attempt to shield assets from a civil suit filed by the parents of a Wellington man killed in a car crash.
"The events which serve as the grounds for the relief sought by the Plaintiffs border on the surreal and take the Court into a legal twilight zone," wrote Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley in an order granting attorneys for Lili and William Wilson the right to information concerning Goodman's adoption.
Goodman, who founded the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, legally adopted 42-year-old Heather Laruso Hutchins, as his daughter on Oct. 13 in Miami-Dade County, according to court documents.
The Wilsons are suing Goodman for wrongful death in connection with the Feb. 12, 2010 crash that killed 23-year-old Scott Patrick Wilson. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff's reports, Goodman ran a stop sign on 120th Avenue on Feb. 12, 2010 and hit Wilson, who was driving west on Lake Worth Road. The civil trial is set for March 27.
Kelley had previously ruled that the trust set up for Goodman's two minor children could not be considered as part of Goodman's financial worth if a jury awarded damages to the Wilsons. According to the adoption papers, Hutchins is immediately entitled to at least a third of the trust's assets as his legal daughter since she is over the age of 35.
In a deposition taken in the lawsuit last May, Hutchins told attorneys she started dating Goodman in 2009.
William Wilson's attorney, Scott Smith, said Goodman benefits from the trust and is using it to try to shield assets. The attorney for Lili Wilson, Chris Searcy, argued in a motion that by adopting Hutchins, Goodman can now direct her to remove up to a third of the trust.
"By way of this adoption, John Goodman now effectively owns one third of the trust assets," Smith said. "It cannot go unrecognized that he chose to adopt his 42-year-old adult girlfriend as opposed to a needy child."
Dan Bachi, Goodman's civil attorney, said Hutchins' adoption was done to ensure the future stability of his children and family investments.
"It has nothing to do with the lawsuit currently pending against him," Bachi said.
Kelley called Goodman's tactic of adopting his girlfriend "unprecedented."
"The Court cannot ignore reality or the practical impact of what Mr. Goodman has now done," Kelley wrote. "The Defendant has effectively diverted a significant portion of the assets of the children's trust to a person with whom he is intimately involved at a time when his personal assets are largely at risk in this case."
Tests taken several hours after the crash revealed Goodman had a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit to drive in Florida. He faces a criminal trial on March 6 on charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash and could face up to 30 years in prison.
Polo club founder John Goodman has adopted his longtime adult girlfriend as his legal daughter in what plaintiff's attorneys are calling an attempt to shield assets from a civil suit filed by the parents of a Wellington man killed in a car crash.
"The events which serve as the grounds for the relief sought by the Plaintiffs border on the surreal and take the Court into a legal twilight zone," wrote Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley in an order granting attorneys for Lili and William Wilson the right to information concerning Goodman's adoption.
Goodman, who founded the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, legally adopted 42-year-old Heather Laruso Hutchins, as his daughter on Oct. 13 in Miami-Dade County, according to court documents.
The Wilsons are suing Goodman for wrongful death in connection with the Feb. 12, 2010 crash that killed 23-year-old Scott Patrick Wilson. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff's reports, Goodman ran a stop sign on 120th Avenue on Feb. 12, 2010 and hit Wilson, who was driving west on Lake Worth Road. The civil trial is set for March 27.
Kelley had previously ruled that the trust set up for Goodman's two minor children could not be considered as part of Goodman's financial worth if a jury awarded damages to the Wilsons. According to the adoption papers, Hutchins is immediately entitled to at least a third of the trust's assets as his legal daughter since she is over the age of 35.
In a deposition taken in the lawsuit last May, Hutchins told attorneys she started dating Goodman in 2009.
William Wilson's attorney, Scott Smith, said Goodman benefits from the trust and is using it to try to shield assets. The attorney for Lili Wilson, Chris Searcy, argued in a motion that by adopting Hutchins, Goodman can now direct her to remove up to a third of the trust.
"By way of this adoption, John Goodman now effectively owns one third of the trust assets," Smith said. "It cannot go unrecognized that he chose to adopt his 42-year-old adult girlfriend as opposed to a needy child."
Dan Bachi, Goodman's civil attorney, said Hutchins' adoption was done to ensure the future stability of his children and family investments.
"It has nothing to do with the lawsuit currently pending against him," Bachi said.
Kelley called Goodman's tactic of adopting his girlfriend "unprecedented."
"The Court cannot ignore reality or the practical impact of what Mr. Goodman has now done," Kelley wrote. "The Defendant has effectively diverted a significant portion of the assets of the children's trust to a person with whom he is intimately involved at a time when his personal assets are largely at risk in this case."
Tests taken several hours after the crash revealed Goodman had a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit to drive in Florida. He faces a criminal trial on March 6 on charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash and could face up to 30 years in prison.
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