As opening arguments are set to begin in the DUI manslaughter trial of Houston-raised multimillionaire John Goodman in West Palm Beach, Fla., news outlets are reporting that a settlement has been reached in the civil lawsuit filed by the family of the young man Goodman is accused of killing.

Scott Wilson, 23, died after he was hit by a car driven by Goodman in February 2010. According to police reports, Goodman left a celebrity bartending charity event and later sped through a stop sign in the Palm Beach suburb of Wellington, hitting the car of 23-year-old Wilson and sending it into a nearby canal, where Wilson drowned.

Goodman, the heir to a fortune from the manufacture of air-conditioning units and a fixture on the Palm Beach polo circuit, fled the scene on foot. His blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

ABC News reported Friday night that Wilson's parents, who had filed a wrongful death suit, asking for up to $100 million, reached a settlement with Goodman. The couple's attorney declined commment.

Observers are unsure how the settlement will affect the criminial trial, which begins Tuesday. A jury of five men and one woman was selected last week.

Goodman is represented in court by high-powered south Florida defense attorney Roy Black, who is known for winning challenging cases. Black is best known for representing William Kennedy Smith, who was aquitted of rape in a notorious 1991 case, and Rush Limbaugh, who was arrested for prescription drug fraud in 2009. Black persuaded prosecutors to drop charges against Limbaugh if he completed 18 months of substance abuse treatment.

West Palm Beach television station WPTV reports that Black may have offered clues about defense strategy on the last day of jury selection. Among the questions he asked potential jurors:

"Does anyone believe that a car could not malfunction while driving it?" and "Is anybody in the first row familiar with the concept of sudden acceleration?"

"Has anybody ever had experience or have heard of anyone who would drink alcohol to relieve pain?"

"Are you familiar at all with people having amnesia, either temporary or permanent?"

Such questions indicate Black may pursue theories that the Bentley automobile Goodman was driving malfunctioned just before the crash or that Goodman may have suffered a concussion or brain injury in the crash and later drank alcohol to alleviate his pain, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Prosecutor also had questions of their own, including, "Do you have any feelings in terms of the way the police investigation was done? Good, or bad?"

The case drew national attention after Goodman adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend, allowing her immediate access to part of his $300 million fortune set up in a trust for his two teenage children, in what most observers believe is an attempt to shield his assets from litigation. Goodman's attorney said the adoption was made for estate planning purposes.

If found guilty by the six-member jury, Goodman could spend up to 30 years in prison.