By CARLOS MONCADA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 30, 2007

CLEARWATER - Hulk Hogan says in a court filing that his wife, seeking half of the famed wrestler's estate and alimony in a divorce action, can support herself and can help support their minor son.

Hogan's petition, filed Wednesday under his real name of Terry Bollea, also says their son, Nick, who is 17 and no longer a student, is old enough to decide which parent he wants to live with.

Nick Bollea is facing charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury in connection with an Aug. 26 crash in downtown Clearwater that left his friend, Iraq War veteran John Graziano, grievously injured.

Graziano, 22, is incapacitated and is expected to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.

His parents, who are estranged and represented by separate lawyers, have indicated they intend to sue the Bollea family.

As part of the criminal case, Graziano's mother said in a deposition filed Wednesday that Nick Bollea told her he crashed his 1998 Toyota Supra after hitting a puddle he couldn't avoid.

"He said they were driving, and he saw a puddle, and he tried to avoid it, but there was a car next to him that he couldn't get around," Deborah Graziano told prosecutors. "So, they hit the puddle and hydroplaned."

She also said Hogan told her he was "very upset" that Nick Bollea took the yellow Supra and that if he had not been in the shower he would not have let his son take the car.

"He said ... he always takes too long in the shower, and the kids were tired of waiting for him," she said. "And if he didn't take so long maybe they would have waited for him and then they wouldn't have taken that car and gone."

Hogan's petition asks that parental responsibility be shared but that Nick Bollea "is fully capable of deciding with whom he will reside."

Linda Bollea wants wherever she decides to live to be Nick Bollea's primary residence, with Hogan allowed liberal visitation, her petition states.

Hogan wants the couple's assets and liabilities equitably distributed. He intends to continue covering the family with health insurance, the petition states.

The couple also have a 19-year-old daughter, Brooke.

Linda Bollea's attorney, Elliot Jay Goldstein, said Thursday that he already filed a response to Hogan's petition by mail. He would not discuss what it said.

Hogan's attorney, Ann Loughridge Kerr, could not be reached.

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or [email protected]