Willie Cheatham (his real name!) found himself out with his girlfriend, and out of cash. So he called his father about borrowing some money, then took a cab to his house. Per the court:

So it's 1978, and two women meet in California and fall in love. They move to New York, where they live together for a number of years. Since they are not allowed to marry in New York, in 1991, they go to Maine, where Ms. Watson, the IBM heiress, legally adopts Ms. Spado, her lover.