One of the top stories right now is about a man named John Goodman, 49, who is in the process of trying to legally adopt his girlfriend. Adopting his girlfriend Heather Hutchins, 42, is thought to be his escape from losing his fortune to a wrongful death lawsuit.
Goodman is the founder of a company called the Tony International Polo Club. He was involved in a car crash in February 2010 that caused a 23-year old man to be killed. After the car accident took place, police found that Goodman’s blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit. The family of the 23-year old man, Scott Patrick Wilson, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Goodman. If he is convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison and lose his fortune.
To offset this, Goodman filed for a legal adoption of his girlfriend. His plans are to protect his assets by saying she is his legal daughter and is entitled to these things.
Things have not yet been finalized in this case; however, the courts are trying to stop this from happening. The problem is that the courts must follow the law, and there are a lot of loopholes in the law. If Goodman can protect his assets, the family of Scott Patrick Wilson could potentially receive no compensation if they win this case.
There are many measures that people have taken to get out of trouble. This one though, has never been heard of by me or most legal professionals.