A high-stakes divorce involving the son of one of the wealthiest men in Virginia and a social media-savvy child psychologist has drawn international attention and was recently sealed by an Albemarle County judge, leaving many of the details shielded from public view.
Court records show that Peter Overton Goodwin, 40, filed for divorce on Jan. 27 from Cara Damiano Goodwin, also 40, in Albemarle Circuit Court. The filing has since produced a torrent of allegations, including claims of adultery and cruelty that became fodder for the New York Post, Daily Mail and Hindustan Times, among other news outlets.
The broader significance of the case remains unclear as, unlike other members of their immediate family, neither Goodwin holds a public office, and so much of the divorce proceedings is now blocked from public view.
On Aug. 18, Judge Cheryl Higgins ordered the entire file sealed, including pleadings in which Cara Goodwin accused her husband of abandoning her and their children on Christmas Day 2023 to pursue a relationship with a University of Virginia student and the family’s former nanny. Other filings reportedly include Peter Goodwin’s acknowledgment of the affair.
Peter Goodwin is the son of Richmond businessman William Hunter Goodwin Jr., 84, a scion of one of Virginia’s First Families and a billionaire investor whose business interests have included the AMF chain of bowling alleys, the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, the Kiawah Island and Sea Pines resorts in South Carolina, Florida-based marine and industrial product manufacturer Pompanette, Henrico County financial institution CCA Financial and Prince George County-based Service Center Metals.
A former UVa rector who has donated more than a quarter-billion dollars to the university, the elder Goodwin earned his graduate business degree at the Darden Business School, whose Charlottesville campus is named the Goodwin Family Grounds.
Following the death of his oldest son, William Hunter Goodwin III, to cancer at the age of 51, he has been a major supporter of cancer research.
“Mr. Goodwin has no comment on his son’s personal affairs,” an assistant to the elder Goodwin told The Daily Progress.
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At the time of his son’s reported affair with a student there, it was William Goodwin Jr.’s son-in-law and Peter Goodwin’s brother-in-law, Robert Hardie, who was rector of UVa. Hardie is married to Goodwin daughter, Molly, who is the chair of the board at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Together, the couple run the Keswick Hall resort in Albemarle County and the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
UVa did not respond to a Daily Progress inquiry regarding the overlap between Hardie’s tenure and his brother-in-law’s reported affair with a student.
In an Aug. 11 story, the New York Post portrayed the divorce as a clash between the “Rolex- and race car-loving” Peter Goodwin and Cara Goodwin, a clinical psychologist whose Instagram account, @parentingtranslator, dispenses research-backed parenting advice to 136,000 followers. The Post’s account, based on court documents, claims that the relationship between the husband and the former nanny, Annette Lombard, began several years ago and later extended into a role in which Lombard, now 27, was elevated to a vice presidency in one of the husband’s companies.
The Daily Mail published additional material on Aug. 19, including excerpts from text messages that depicted acrimony between the couple and disagreements over money, custody and lifestyle.
The Albemarle court file shows a flurry of filings, including a psychological evaluation order, disputes over attorney’s fees and a temporary decree entered Sept. 11. Attorneys involved are Seth Ragosta, representing Peter Goodwin, and Melissa Ritter, representing Cara Goodwin. Neither returned the Daily Progress’ phone calls.
As it stands, the case will proceed under seal. Court records indicate a hearing took place Aug. 27 and another is set for Thursday. Whether the proceedings will remain shielded from public access may depend on further motions or appeals.
For now, the divorce remains mired in secrecy and speculation, with the primary accounts shaped by tabloids far beyond the borders of the Old Dominion.