Tampa a Possible Location for Goodman DUI Retrial

The retrial of International Polo Club Chairman John Goodman for DUI has been prolonged because of accusations over the suitability of a previous juror. It has now been suggested that because of adverse publicity over the trial in Palm Beach County, the retrial may take place in Tampa or another location in Florida. A senior judge in Palm Beach, Justice Colbath, denied the trial move last Friday unless suitable jurors cannot be found in the county.

Goodman is on house arrest at present, pending the retrial. He was originally sentenced in 2012 for DUI manslaughter after the car he was driving in veered into the path of an engineering student at the University of Florida, Scott Wilson. Wilson’s vehicle was pushed off the road and into a swamp. He was drowned and died as a result of the accident. Goodman was alleged to have had a blood alcohol level of twice the allowed limit of 0.08% and was sentenced to 16 years in jail.

A retrial was ordered after one of the jurors in the original trial that found Goodman guilty was accused of misconduct by the defendant’s defense attorneys. 70 year old Dennis DeMartin was alleged to have failed to reveal that his ex-wife had been arrested for DUI in the pre-trial jury selection process. If this allegation was true, then it could mean that DeMartin was in contempt of court, as he would have lied about his suitability as a juror in a DUI case and hence the original trial would have been invalid.

The retrial has been delayed because DeMartin’s suitability has not yet been decided. Judge Colbath has delayed the hearing into DeMartin’s conduct until an assessment of his mental state has been made.  Meanwhile, there has been a push from Goodman’s defense attorneys to have the retrial moved to another county. They have contended that a fair trial is impossible in Palm Beach County because of the huge amount of publicity about the case. They have said that the likelihood of finding impartial jurors would now be too difficult.

Judge Colbath has since ruled that the request for a change in county venue is inadmissible on the grounds that the county should be able to furnish suitable jurors. However, he has stated that if suitable jurors are not forthcoming that it will then be possible to change the trial location. Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Ocala are the possible alternatives for the retrial.

The Deputy State Attorney has said that nothing has been satisfactory so far about the Goodman case. He said that it was unlikely that there would be any difficulties finding suitable jurors from within Palm Beach County and was sure that the retrial would take place there.

The case does demonstrate the necessity for giving a DUI defendant a fair trial. This is everyone’s constitutional right. If you have been arrested for DUI in Tampa, it is highly unlikely that there will be anything like the publicity about your arrest as there has been for John Goodman. However, the lack of publicity is no reason why you shouldn’t be granted exactly the same privileges as the head of the International Polo Club. In any DUI trial, the prosecution has to prove beyond any doubt that you were guilty of the offense you have been charged with.

An experienced and aggressive Tampa DUI lawyer will work on your behalf to defend you against a DUI charge that could lead to serious and long lasting consequences for you and your family. DUI is a very serious charge in this state. It is not treated in the same way as an ordinary traffic offense, like speeding. For a start, a DUI conviction will mean that you have a criminal record and this, more than anything else, will affect nearly every aspect of your future life. A skillful Tampa DUI defense attorney will be able to examine every aspect of your DUI arrest and search for inconsistencies and inaccuracies that can help to reduce your sentence or get your case dismissed altogether.

Was Adoption a Ruse to Protect DUI Defendant’s Fortune?

Few ordinary citizens who have been charged with DUI would have the options available like a billionaire. The case of John Goodman, a man whose fortune derives from his family’s Texas air conditioning business and is worth millions of dollars, is certainly unusual. He has a DUI charge to be decided by the court as well as a civil action against him by the surviving family members of a man who was killed when Goodman crashed into his car in Wellington, Florida over three years ago.

The accident was alleged to have happened as a result of Goodman being DUI at the time and he was formally charged with DUI manslaughter as well as a number of other charges. The charge could mean a jail sentence of anything up to 30 years if he is convicted. However, the billionaire seems to be more worried about losing part of his vast fortune if the wrongful death lawsuit against him is successful.

The accident happened when Goodman was driving his $200,000 Bentley in February 2010. The Bentley veered across the road and struck the car belonging to Scott Patrick Wilson. Mr. Wilson died as a result of drowning after his Hyundai sedan ended up in a canal. It is his parents who are pursuing the current wrongful death suit against Mr. Goodman.

Goodman could stand to lose much of his personal assets if the lawsuit is successful. He has been accused by Wilson’s parents of resorting to an unusual tactic. He has “adopted” his own girlfriend, who is only 6 years his junior. According to his lawyer, the adoption is all about securing Goodman’s estate and allotting assets more evenly amongst the children belonging to him and his girlfriend. However, the dead man’s parents feel that the adoption could rob them of a significant part of the wrongful death compensation payment as the adopted girlfriend would be handed at least a third of Goodman’s assets.

They have appealed to the judge involved in the case to consider the portion of Goodman’s assets which will be awarded in trust to the girlfriend to be part of the total which could be available to pay the compensation settlement.

Whatever the outcome of the case, the results could still be very serious for Mr. Goodman. Losing the court case against the DUI charge would mean that he could spend a considerable time in jail as well as pay a large fine and he is unlikely to see his license returned any time soon.

If you have been arrested for DUI in Tampa and you are not a billionaire, then you will certainly still need an experienced Tampa DUI lawyer to help you defend you against the DUI charge. The charges against Goodman in this case were particularly serious because his actions are alleged to have led to a fatality. However, even a DUI charge in which nobody has been injured can lead to severe penalties.

Not every DUI arrest is clear cut. There are often situations in which a person is arrested for DUI, even if they were not over the legal limit when they were actually driving. In fact, it is quite possible for a person to be arrested for DUI even if they have never been drinking. This is because the tests used to determine DUI can be seriously flawed or appear to show a person was over the 0.08% limit because of contaminated equipment, or because a poorly trained officer used the equipment. There are even DUI charges laid against some people based purely on the subjective observations of officers who have stopped a DUI suspect on the roadside.

DUI arrests do not always lead to a conviction. The prosecution is legally bound to prove that someone was actually over the legal limit at the time they were driving. By using an experienced DUI attorney, you stand a chance to fight the DUI charge against you and you may be able to get the charge dismissed altogether or have the penalties imposed reduced if you are finally convicted.