O.J. Simpson's lawyer backtracks on Ron Goldman's family will claim
The lawyer who is acting as the executor of O.J. Simpson's estate following his death has backtracked and promised to accept a claim from Ron Goldman's family after previously declaring they would "get nothing".
O.J. Simpson's lawyer has confirmed he will accept a claim from Ron Goldman's family after previously declaring they would get "nothing" from the estate.
Malcolm LaVergne has been appointed executor of Simpson's estate following his death aged 76 earlier this month and the attorney subsequently insisted the father of murder victim Ron - who Simpson was acquitted of killing - would not be able to go after any of the $33.5 million judgment awarded in a civil case against the disgraced former football star.
However, LaVergne has now backtracked, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "I can tell you in advance, Fred Goldman’s claim will be accepted. And his claim will be handled in accordance with Nevada law."
He went on to insist his initial remarks in which he declared they would get "nothing" were an emotional response to Fred talking about Simpson in the press after his death.
LaVergne added: "Within an hour of knowing that O.J. died, he started talking [badly about him]. My advocate instinct is was, ‘Oh, you’re gonna keep [doing this] even after he’s dead? Fine, you know? You get nothing.’
"And so, those were my remarks then. But I backtracked, and they were pretty harsh remarks. And now I’m going in the other direction.”
He went on to insist he plans to invite the Goldman family to a meeting along with those representing the estate of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown - who was murdered alongside her friend Ron at her home in California in 1994.
LaVergne insisted he plans to be “hypertransparent” with the families and will "see what we can do in terms of getting this estate in order".
The families of Goldman and Brown were awarded a $33.5 million payout from Simpson after a civil court case in 1997 ruled him liable for the pair's deaths two years after being cleared of murder charges in what was dubbed the trial of the century.
However, Fred Goldman has claimed Simpson never paid a penny of the money he owed. He told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022: "It’s a ridiculous number, none of which has ever appeared.
"[Simpson] never paid one single penny. Anything that we were able to take was through our own efforts of taking things away from him."
Simpson is survived by his four grown-up children - Arnelle, 55, and Jason, 54, from his marriage to first wife, Marguerite, and Sydney, 35, and Justin, 33, with Brown.
