Posted on 02/01/2012 9:02:36 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
A 48-year-old Florida businessman has legally adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend as his daughter in what one attorney is calling an attempt to shield assets in a wrongful death civil suit that has entered a "legal twilight zone," according to a judge.
John Goodman, who founded the International Polo Club Beach in Wellington, legally adopted Heather Hutchins on Oct. 13 in Miami-Dade County, according to a court order by Circuit Court Judge Glenn Kelley.
"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," Kelley wrote in an order granting attorneys for Lili and William Wilson the right to information concerning Goodman's adoption. " … While there is nothing unusual about an adult adoption, the critical fact here is that Ms. Hutchins is Mr. Goodman's 42-year-old girlfriend. Ms. Hutchins has testified in a deposition that she started dating Mr. Goodman in 2009, and it appears to be undisputed that they are still in a relationship today."
The unusual legal move was exposed in court documents pertaining to a wrongful death civil suit in connection to a February 2010 crash that killed 23-year-old Scott Patrick Wilson. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff's reports, Goodman ran a stop sign and fatally struck Wilson. A civil trial date has been set for March 27, according to attorney Scott Smith, who represents William Wilson, the victim's father.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Its been 2 years so I can assume Goodman attorney have been doing everything in its power to delay the trial. Sounds like he is getting desperate to adopt his girlfriend. This defense is a huge risk to the children trust. What if the plaintiff attorney tries to connect the girlfriend to the DWI which opens up the children trust.
This obvious attempt to shelter assets will displease the court greatly. It won’t work. The trusts for the minor children are safe because that was sheltered money before the wrongdoing.
It doesn’t do diddly as an asset shelter.
The IRS treats spousal inheritance as no tax liablity.
Children however are taxed over a certain amount....I think 3.5M now...not sure...it has all changed a lot over the past few years back and forth.
Why not just marry her unless he didn’t want her to have access to all his stuff?
I’d like to adopt Jennifer Aniston!
Charge him and her with incest.
“I remember reading about this accident a few years ago. Goodman is a large A/C manufacture company here in Houston. Appears from the article the judge ruled the children trust is not part of his assets. So Goodman adopts his girlfriend and gives remaining assets to the trust for the benefit of his girlfriend?”
A former boss of mine was married to the daughter of the Goodman founder and patriarch. Needless to say, he still tries to get his hands on his daughters cash, even though he is divorced. People with access to mucho dinero can be sleezeballs to say the least.
The ball is in the “daughter’s” court. Is there anything stopping her from taking the money and running? That would serve this jerk right.
Could he be arrested for incest?
Agreed
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