Kids Battle Millionaire Dad's Adoption of Girlfriend, 42

John Goodman defrauded court, blindsided teens' mom: court filing
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2012 10:10 AM CST
Kids Battle Millionaire Dad's Adoption of Girlfriend, 42
John Goodman's mugshot from his arrest in 2010.   (Palm Beach County Police)

The wily multimillionaire who recently adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend—in what experts say is an attempt to shield his assets from the family of a young man he is accused of killing while driving drunk—faces a new opponent in court: his teenage kids. A guardian acting on their behalf has filed a request in Miami to have the adoption thrown out. It claims John Goodman defrauded the court by not revealing his upcoming trial to the judge who OKed the adoption, and says the move took the guardian and kids' mom by surprise.

They apparently didn't learn about the adoption until nearly two months after it was finalized, reports the Palm Beach Post. The guardian and a lawyer also acting for the teens believe that girlfriend Heather Hutchins will reap nearly $9 million from the trust Goodman had set up for his children, which contains hundreds of millions of dollars; she can also request $5 million from it each year. (Click for one take on whether Goodman's move means he's committing incest.)

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