It has come to light that the executor of O.J. Simpson’s estate and will states that he will work to prevent a payout of a $33.5 million judgment awarded by a California civil jury nearly three decades ago in a wrongful death lawsuit tht was filed by the families of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman via Yahoo.
Simpson’s will that was filed Friday in a Clark County court in Nevada named his longtime lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, as the executor. The document shows Simpson’s property was placed into a trust that was created this year.
LaVergne told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the entirety of Simpson’s estate has not been tallied. Under Nevada law, an estate must go through the courts if its assets exceed $20,000.
Simpson passed away recently without having paid the lion’s share of the civil judgment that was awarded in 1997 after jurors found him liable. His assets are set to go through the court probate process, the Goldman and Brown families could be in line to get paid a piece of whatever Simpson left behind.
LaVergne, who had represented Simpson since 2009, said he specifically didn’t want the Goldman family seeing any money from Simpson’s estate.
“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” he told the Review-Journal. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”
The Brown and Goldman families have pushed for payment, but LaVergne stated there was never a court order forcing Simpson to pay the civil judgment. It is noted that the attorney 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 earned fame and fortune through football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 knife slayings of his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles. He was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 in a trial that mesmerized the public.
Goldman’s father Fred Goldman, the lead plaintiff stated that the issue was never the money, it was only about holding Simpson responsible. And he said in a statement Thursday that with Simpson’s death, “the hope for true accountability has ended.”
When Simpson’s estate is handled according to the provisions set forth by the trust that was established in January, the Goldman and Brown families will likely have an even stronger claim than other creditors and will be at least on par with them.
It is noted that the beneficiary who attempts to contest a will provision “shall receive, free of trust, one dollar ($1.00) and no more in lieu of any claimed interest in this will or its assets,” according to the will, which also identifies his four children.
Simpson said he was solely supported by his private and NFL pensions. As part of the jury verdict, hundreds of priceless items were taken into custody, and Simpson was compelled to auction off his Heisman Trophy, which brought in $230,000.
