Over three decades after O.J. Simpson was held liable in a civil court for the wrongful deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, a significant development has emerged: Simpson’s estate has decided to fulfill the damages awarded to the Goldman family back in 1997.
Originally, the jury had determined that $33.5 million should be awarded to the families. However, in a turn of events, Simpson’s estate has now agreed to pay Fred Goldman, Ron’s father, a staggering $58 million, including interest.
The motivations behind this unexpected decision remain unclear, particularly since Malcolm Lavergne, the estate’s executor, had previously vowed never to pay a dime to the Goldmans.
Despite agreeing to this enormous sum, Lavergne has expressed doubts about the estate’s ability to meet the full financial obligation. He anticipates that they might only be able to gather between $500,000 and $1 million from the estate’s assets. To raise these funds, plans are underway to auction off Simpson’s belongings.
Lavergne has indicated that the estate is committed to disbursing as much of the agreed amount as possible. Nevertheless, he has also pointed out that some items believed to belong to the estate were allegedly stolen, and legal efforts to reclaim them are still active.
This civil case was set in motion a year after Simpson was acquitted in a criminal trial. The families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman pursued a civil lawsuit against Simpson, accusing him of their wrongful deaths. The trial, which extended over five months, concluded with a jury of 12 finding Simpson responsible for the murders of Nicole and Ron.
The jury awards $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Ron Goldman’s parents, and determine Simpson should pay $25 million in punitive damages to both victims’ families.
The Goldman family isn’t the only one Simpson owes money. Simpson’s estate owes federal taxes and state taxes as well. While Lavergne agrees to the Goldman settlement.
He says his priority is paying off the IRS. Lavergne is doubling down on skirting the California taxes, saying the state will have to sue to recover the $637,000 claim they filed with the estate.
Additional Guests
- Chris Melcher – Celebrity Lawyer and Partner at Walzer Melcher & Yoda (with deep experience in complex family law litigation)
- Dr. Cheryl Arutt– Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist Specializing in Trauma Recovery, PTSD and EMDR; website: CreativeEMDR.com, IG: @askdrcheryl
- Jon Buehler – Former Detective for Modesto Police Department, California (31 years in Robbery and Homicide), Detective in Scott Peterson Investigation
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Fox Nation is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[Feature Photo: FILE – In this May 14, 2013, file photo, O.J. Simpson appears at an evidentiary hearing in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas. On Friday, June 18, 2021, Simpson’s lawyer says he’ll keep fighting recent court orders in Nevada that the former football star owes least $60 million in judgments stemming from the 1994 killings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. (Ethan Miller via AP, Pool, File)]
