Sometimes, family law cases can take a step out of the ordinary. More times than not, when Virginia couples choose to add a member to their family through adoption, that member is usually an infant or young child. However, in recent years, more adoption cases are involving adults, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes those reasons involve medical benefit coverage, other times it involves an estate planning rationale.

In October of last year, a businessman adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend as his daughter. The adoption has been in the news recently because many are curious why someone would do such a thing. The man is currently involved in a wrongful death suit and the plaintiff's attorneys allege that the adoption is illegitimate. They believe this is a way for the man to acquire some of his assets that will not be affected by the suit.

The wrongful death suit stems from an alleged DUI accident that took the life of a 23-year-old man in February 2010. According to the authorities, the businessman was drinking and driving at the time of the crash.

The businessman is the founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach and is believed to be considerably wealthy.

Parents of the deceased filed a civil suit against the businessman. The presiding judge said that a trust set up by the defendant for his two minor children will not be included as part of any of the man's financial worth. Since the adoption of his girlfriend though, the trust now has three beneficiaries.

Estimates suggest that the man's girlfriend will be able to acquire approximately $9 million from the trust right away and as much as $5 million per year in the future.

Interestingly, a guardian for the man's two minor children has filed paperwork asking a judge to throw the adoption out.

No hearing date has been set for this motion. His civil suit will head to trial on March 27 and a criminal trial for the accident will be held on March 6. He is currently charged with vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and DUI manslaughter. If convicted, he could be in prison for up to 30 years.

Source: Fox News, "Teenage kids fight dad's adoption of adult girlfriend," Feb. 9, 2012