John Goodman, the polo tycoon who adopted his girlfriend earlier this year in an attempt to protect his fortune, will still pay $46 million to the parents of the young man he killed in a drunk driving accident.
Goodman, the founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, agreed to cough up $23 million each to Scott Wilson’s parents, Lili and William Wilson. The settlement was revealed this week in court documents filed in Palm Beach County.
The Players Club will pay $6 million of the total amount.
In March, Goodman, 48, was convicted of killing Scott Wilson in 2010 in Wellington, Florida. He crashed his Bentley into Wilson’s Hyundai after running a stop sign. The collision sent Wilson’s vehicle into a canal, where he drowned.
Earlier this year, Goodman drew national attention by legally adopting his girlfriend, 42-year-old Heather Ann Hutchins, as his daughter.
That maneuver gave Hutchins a piece of the $300 million trust already established for Goodman’s two biological children. Critics viewed it as a blatant attempt to preserve his wealth, as a judge had ruled that the trust was off limits to the Wilsons.
The adoption was challenged in court by members of Goodman’s own family. Attorneys representing Goodman’s teenage children denounced the adoption and filed a lawsuit asking to have their new “sibling” cut out of the trust.
Goodman faces a 30-year sentence for the DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide convictions.
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