Polo club owner, John Goodman, is being sued by the family of a 23-year-old college student who was killed in a fatal DUI accident. It was reported that Goodman, 48, was under the influence of alcohol when he got into an accident with Scott Patrick Wilson who died in the crash. The trial is set to begin on March 27 according to a report from USA Today.

Goodman is very wealthy and in what seems to be a legal maneuver to protect his assets in the upcoming trial he has adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend Laruso Hutchins as his daughter. In addition to the civil suit brought up against him he is also facing some major criminal charges including DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, and vehicular homicide—he is facing up to 30 years in prison.

The adoption of his girlfriend occurred in October according to the USA Today report and it is believed that this is a way to shield his assets before the civil trial begins. An earlier ruling from West Palm Beach Judge Glenn Kelley stated that the trusts that are set up for Goodman’s two minor children is not considered to be part of his financial worth if the jury does award damages to the Wilson family. Since he knew that a trust for a child was untouchable in the civil trial it would appear that is the reason he adopted his girlfriend. The law states that since she is over the age of 35 she is entitled to access at least one-third of the trust’s assets.

The Wilson’s attorney was reported to have said that this is a blatant attempt to protect his money from the wrongful death suit. Goodman’s attorney tried to explain away the adoption as something unrelated to the civil case claiming it was done to preserve “the future stability of his children and family investments.”

If you or someone you love was injured in a motor vehicle accident you should contact a New Jersey car accident attorney to find out your legal rights and options.