John Goodman, who started the Florida International Polo Club Palm Beach, was jailed for 16 years for leaving a man to drown after ramming his car while drunk.
May 12, 2012- John Goodman, a Florida polo tycoon, received a sentence of 16 years for DUI-manslaughter and vehicular homicide. The incident took place in 2010 and caused the death of one man when Goodman’s Bentley slammed into the car the man was driving. The judge sentence Goodman to half of what the maximum was. Goodman is the founder of the Wellington, Florida International Polo Club Palm Beach.
While driving his convertible Bentley in 2010, Goodman ran through a stop sign and struck the car of Scott Wilson, which then careened into a nearby canal. Goodman left the scene of the accident on foot and waited nearly an hour before he contacted 911. The victim could not get out of his car and drowned. The judge said during the sentence that in determining Goodman’s sentence, he took into consideration the blood alcohol level of Goodman and that he did not do anything to try to save the victim.
Roy Black, Goodman’s attorney had requested a new trial saying that juror misconduct had taken place, but the judge denied the request. One of the jurors was questioned after he published a book detailing the trial and said the night before the verdict was reached, he drank four drinks to see how it would have affected Goodman.
Black argued that the juror used an experiment to base is decision on the case and not the evidence that was presented. Black said that the insurance company of Goodman has paid the parents of the deceased victim $40 million.
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