Fred Goldman may be closer to finally receiving payment from OJ Simpson’s estate nearly three decades after winning a wrongful death judgment against the former football great who was acquitted of killing his son.
Malcolm LaVergne, the executor of the Simpson estate, has accepted Goldman’s creditor claim for $57,997,858.12 plus ongoing judgment interest, TMZ reported on Saturday.
The news site reports that 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 initially submitted a claim exceeding $117 million — a figure that represents the original $33 million judgment from the 1995 civil lawsuit plus interest that has accumulated over the course of the past three decades.
LaVergne disputed Goldman’s calculations and offered a number that was half of what the bereaved father was seeking. Goldman accepted, according to TMZ.
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.
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 marks a reversal from LaVergne’s initial stance following Simpson’s death last year, when he stated he would never pay the Goldman family.
He subsequently changed course and committed to accepting their claim.
The Post has sought comment from LaVergne, the Goldmans and the Browns.
On June 13, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found brutally slain outside Brown Simpson’s Brentwood condominium.
Simpson, the NFL hall of famer who went on to a career in acting and broadcasting after he retired from professional football, was charged with both murders.
He was acquitted of the slayings following a lengthy, highly publicized trial that lasted more than a year and played out on television screens worldwide.
Goldman’s parents subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Simpson.
Simpson testified in the civil proceedings, denying involvement in the killings. In February 1997, he was found liable for both deaths after three days of jury deliberation.
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.
The combined $33.5 million judgment went largely unpaid during Simpson’s lifetime.
As of present day, the families had received only a small fraction of the awarded damages.
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