UPDATE: O.J. Simpson’s executor has had a change of heart after he somewhat callously said that he would “do everything” to keep Ron Goldman’s family from receiving a financial payout.
Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime lawyer and estate executor, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this week he wanted to make sure the Goldman family “get zero, nothing.”
Now, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said Fred Goldman, Ron’s father, will have his claim “accepted” and “handled in accordance with Nevada law.”
While he admitted his initial reaction was “pretty harsh,” he also defended his those actions, saying he reacted to comments made by the Goldman family lawyers shortly after Simpson’s death was made public.
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ORIGINAL: O.J. Simpson died last week still owing the lion’s share of a US$33.5-million judgement awarded to the families of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, but now the ex-football player’s executor says he will “do everything in my capacity” to make sure the Goldman family gets nothing from Simpson’s estate.
Simpson’s final will was filed last week in Clark County, Nev., two days following his April 10 death. His estate, documents show, was placed into a trust created this year.
His longtime lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, was named as the executor of his estate.
Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about his responsibilities, LaVergne said the value of Simpson’s property has yet to be finalized, but he does not want Goldman’s family to receive even a dime of the money.
“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” LaVergne said. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”
While Simpson was acquitted in the 1994 deaths of Nicole and Goldman, a California civil jury later awarded the families $33.5 million after a wrongful death lawsuit in 1997. The civil court determined that the disgraced athlete had “willingly and wrongfully” caused both deaths.
Although the Brown and Goldman families have pushed for payment, LaVergne said there was never a court order forcing Simpson to pay the civil judgment. He told the Review-Journal that his particular ire at the Goldman family stemmed in part from the events surrounding Simpson’s planned book, titled If I Did It. Goldman’s family won control of the manuscript and retitled the book If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.
Simpson was on track to fame and fortune through football and show business, but his legacy was tarnished by the June 1994 stabbing deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.
The court case became one of the most talked-about court cases of the last century, captivating audiences worldwide with its live, of-the-minute television coverage. From the low-speed police chase of Simpson’s Bronco along a Los Angeles freeway to the now-infamous line, “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” the court case was nothing short of a spectacle.
Prosecutors argued that Simpson killed Nicole in a jealous fury, and they presented extensive blood, hair and fibre tests linking Simpson to the murders. The defence countered that the celebrity defendant was framed by racist white police.
His case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.
Simpson said he lived only on his NFL and private pensions. Hundreds of valuable possessions had been seized as part of the jury award, and Simpson was forced to auction his Heisman Trophy, fetching US$230,000.
The Goldman and Brown families will be on at least equal footing with other creditors and will probably have an even stronger claim, as Simpson’s estate is settled under terms established by the trust created in January. The will lists his four children and notes that any beneficiary who seeks to challenge provisions of the will “shall receive, free of trust, one dollar ($1.00) and no more in lieu of any claimed interest in this will or its assets.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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