OJ Simpson estate agrees to $58M settlement with the Goldman family after years of legal tussle
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: More than 30 years after the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, the estate of OJ Simpson, the former football star acquitted in the killings, has agreed to honor a $58 million claim filed by Goldman’s father.
The move signals the estate’s decision to accept the long-standing judgment that Fred Goldman has pursued for years.
Ron Goldman father's claim and OJ Simpson estate's negotiation
According to a TMZ report, Malcolm LaVergne, the executor of the Simpson estate, has accepted Goldman’s creditor claim for $57,997,858.12 plus ongoing judgment interest.
The report says the figure was agreed to following negotiations between the estate and Goldman, whose son Ron was killed alongside Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in June 1994.
Goldman first filed a claim that was a little over $117 million, which included the original $33 million judgment from the civil case and the interest that had built over the years.
LaVergne challenged Goldman’s demand and suggested an amount that was half of what Goldman asked for, to which Goldman agreed.
The executor told TMZ that the estate intends to pay as much of the approved amount as possible through ongoing auctions of Simpson’s possessions.
LaVergne said that some memorabilia was stolen and that he is working with attorneys to recover those items.
He also plans to request the court award Goldman administrative fees for guidance provided in managing the estate.
How OJ Simpson's estate is handling other claims
LaVergne has rejected most creditor claims, accepting only Goldman’s and a claim from the Internal Revenue Service.
The Simpson estate will prioritize payment to the IRS in order to meet federal tax obligations before tending to other debts, including an approximately $636,945 claim from California.
LaVergne told TMZ that the state would need to pursue legal action if it wants payment.
The agreement with Goldman is a major shift from LaVergne’s earlier positions after Simpson’s death, when he said that he would never pay the Goldman family.
Subsequently, he changed course and committed to accepting their claim.
Background of the OJ Simpson case
On June 13, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found brutally killed outside Brown Simpson’s Brentwood condominium.
Simpson was then charged with both murders. He was an NFL Hall of Famer who went on to a career in acting and broadcasting after he retired from professional football.
Following a lengthy, highly publicized trial that lasted more than a year and played out on television screens worldwide, he was acquitted of the killings.
Subsequently, Goldman’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Simpson.
Although Simpson testified in the civil proceedings, denying involvement in the killings, he was found liable for both deaths after three days of jury deliberation in February 1997.
All twelve jurors voted in favor of the plaintiffs on the first ballot, awarding $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Goldman’s family.
Six days later, the same jury ordered Simpson to pay $25 million in punitive damages, split equally between the Goldman and Brown families.
