(USA TODAY) -- A wealthy polo club owner in Florida has legally adopted his longtime adult girlfriend as his daughter in a legal maneuver that critics say is an attempt to shield his assets ahead of a civil lawsuit over a deadly car crash, The Palm Beach Post reports.
John Goodman, 48, is being sued by the parents of 23-year-old Scott Patrick Wilson, who was killed in a traffic accident last February. The newspaper, quoting a sheriff's report, says Goodman ran a stop sign and hit Wilson's car in Wellington, Fla.
Wilson's parents have sued Goodman. The trial is set for March 27.
The newspaper says Goodman also faces a criminal trial on March 6 on charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash. He could face up to 30 years in prison.
Goodman, founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, legally adopted 42-year-old Laruso Hutchins as his daughter on Oct. 13 in Miami-Dade County, according to court documents.
West Palm Beach Judge Glenn Kelley wrote in a court order that hte legal twists in the case "border on the surreal and take the court into a legal twilight zone."
In a previous ruling, Kelley said a trust set up for Goodman's two minor children could not be considered as part of his 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, the Post reports.
Attorneys for the Wilsons told the newspaper that the adoption is an attempt by Goodman to shield assets from potential lawsuit damages.
Dan Bachi, Goodman's civil attorney, says the adoption was done to ensure the future stability of his children and family investments and has nothing to do with the lawsuit.