OJ Simpson estate agrees to $57M payout to father of Ron Goldman 29 years after his son died in notorious double murder: report
The estate of O.J. Simpson has reportedly agreed to pay almost $58 million to Fred Goldman, nearly three decades after Goldman won a wrongful death judgment against the former NFL player – who had been acquitted of killing his son.
Malcolm LaVergne, the executor of Simpson’s estate, has accepted Goldman’s creditor claim for $57,997,858.12 plus 30 years of accumulated interest, TMZ reported Saturday.
Goldman’s son, Ron, was stabbed to death alongside Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in Los Angeles in June 1994. Simpson was charged with their murders but then sensationally acquitted in what became known as the “Trial of the Century.” No one has ever been convicted of their murders.
Goldman filed the lawsuit against Simpson’s estate for $117 million for the wrongful death of his son last year, nearly 30 years after winning a civil lawsuit against Simpson in 1997.
At the time of the civil suit, Simpson was ordered to pay the elder Goldman $33 million, but laws protecting Simpson’s pension from his NFL career prevented the payout, and the families of the victims only received a small portion of the awarded damages.
More recently, LaVergne disputed Goldman’s calculations and offered nearly $58 million, which Goldman accepted, according to TMZ.
The executor told the outlet that Simpson’s estate plans to auction off items, some of which were stolen, to settle the total. LaVergne said he was working with attorneys to recover the stolen items.
LaVergne reportedly also plans to request that the court award Goldman administrative fees for advising him on how to run the estate.
He says he has declined a majority of creditor claims, only accepting Goldman’s and a claim from the Internal Revenue Service.
Simpson’s estate will prioritize paying the IRS before its other debts, which include an “approximately $636,945” payment to the state of California. However, LaVergne told TMZ that the state would need to file a lawsuit if it wants the money.
The deal with Goldman is a drastic shift from LaVergne’s initial stance following Simpson’s death last year, when he said he would never pay the Goldman family.
Simpson – who had carved out a successful movie career after retiring from football – died from cancer last year at the age of 76.
