OJ Simpson Executor: There's Not Much to His Estate

The executor of OJ Simpson's estate has had a change of heart since saying he would do everything in his power to prevent Ron Goldman's relatives from collecting the millions awarded to them after Simpson was found liable for Goldman's 1994 stabbing death. Attorney Malcolm LaVergne, who previously said he hoped Goldman's father Fred Goldman would receive "zero" from Simpson's estate, now says "Fred Goldman's claim will be accepted." Speaking Monday with the Hollywood Reporter, LaVergne said his earlier remarks came in response to a statement from an attorney for Fred Goldman, rather than the man himself. Attorney David J. Cook had claimed Simpson died "without penance" and suggested the former NFL star was hiding money, per CBS News.

LaVergne's initial view was that if Goldman was "gonna keep shitting on [Simpson]" after death, then he could have "nothing," Simpson's longtime attorney told the Reporter. But "that 'zero, nothing' remark to a local reporter was harsh and in response to what an attorney for Fred Goldman said ... not Fred Goldman himself," LaVergne clarified, per CBS. Of Simpson's death, Fred Goldman told NBC News, "It's no great loss to the world. It's a further reminder of Ron's being gone." LaVergne described those remarks as "non-offensive and understandable given the circumstances." So "now I'm going in the other direction," he told the Reporter. He said he would be "hypertransparent" with the families of Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson and invite representatives to a meeting.

Though Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Goldman and Brown Simpson in 1994, their families were awarded $33.5 million in a 1998 civil judgment following a wrongful death lawsuit. Only about $132,000 was collected, according to a 2015 court filing, per the Los Angeles Times. Fred Goldman has said the total increases by 10% each year with interest, per the Reporter. Cook claimed the total had reached $114 million, per CBS. Simpson's estate isn't likely to be worth that much. LaVergne has declined to guess at the value but says the one-time actor did not own property. "You're basically dealing with household items," he tells the Times. (More OJ Simpson stories.)