O.J. Simpson: Executor of estate wants Goldmans to get ‘zero, nothing’

LAS VEGAS — The executor of O.J. Simpson’s estate said he will fight to prevent a payout of a $33.5 million judgment awarded by a California jury in a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the families of the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, according to a published report.

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The Las Vegas Review-Journal cited a telephone interview with Simpson’s longtime attorney Malcolm LaVergne, who said he specifically does not want the Goldman family receiving any money from Simpson’s estate.

“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” LaVergne told the newspaper. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”

Simpson, 76, died on Wednesday of prostate cancer, and his family announced his death the next day. His will was filed Friday in a Clark County court in Nevada. LaVergne was named the executor of the estate, while Simpson’s son, Justin Simpson, was named as “successor personal representative,” CNN reported.

O.J. Simpson had been charged with the murders of his ex-wife and her friend, who were found dead on June 12, 1994. The former movie star and advertising pitchman was acquitted of both murders in 1995 but was later found liable for their deaths in a civil lawsuit, according to The New York Times.

According to court filings, O.J. Simpson’s will places all of his property into a trust, the Review-Journal reported. The document states that Simpson’s property was placed into The Orenthal Simpson Revocable Living Trust, which was created on Jan. 25, 2024, according to KNTV. The document was filed by Casady Law Offices in Las Vegas, according to the television station.

LaVergne said the entirety of Simpson’s estate has yet to be tallied.

“I can’t make a predication right now as to what the value of the estate is,” he told the Review-Journal.

Under Nevada law, an estate must go through the courts if its assets exceed $20,000 or if any real estate is involved, KNTV reported. This must be achieved within 30 days of a person’s death. After that, creditors can begin the process of recovering debt.

LaVergne, who has been Simpson’s attorney since 2009, said that although the families have pressed for payment, there was never a court order forcing Simpson to pay out the civil judgment, according to the Review-Journal.

He said his comments about the Goldman was partly due to the events surrounding Simpson’s proposed book, “If I Did It.”

Goldman’s family won control of the manuscript and retitled it “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer,” according to The Associated Press.

According to Forbes, the book had reached the top of two of Amazon’s bestseller lists days after Simpson’s death.

Simpson had paid only a small part of the 1997 judgment, David Cook, who represents the Goldman family, told the Los Angeles Times. Due to interest, the original debt has grown to more than $114 million, Cook told the newspaper.

According to the AP, the will lists Simpson’s four children, adding that if any beneficiary attempts to challenge its provisions, they “shall receive, free of trust, one dollar ($1.00) and no more in lieu of any claimed interest in this will or its assets.”

Goldman’s family members called Simpson’s death “a mixed bag of complicated emotions” on Thursday.

“For three decades we tirelessly pursued justice for Ron and Nicole, and despite a civil judgment and his confession in ‘If I Did It,’ the hope for true accountability has ended,” Ron’s sister Kim Goldman and father, Fred Goldman, wrote in a joint statement, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Cook said that Simpson “died without penance.”

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