Not long after stating he was planning to fight Ron Goldman’s family over the money O.J. Simpson was ordered to pay them more than 25 years ago, the late disgraced athlete’s estate executor is walking back his comments.
Nearly two years after he was acquitted of murder, Simpson was deemed liable for the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. The retired NFL star was ordered to pay $33.5 million to both of their families.
He never paid the families and his estate executor, Malcolm LaVergne recently stated that he had no plans to pay the Goldman family what they’re owed.
“They specifically,” LaVergne told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the Goldmans. “And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”
His animosity towards the Goldmans was originally due to them having the rights to O.J. Simpson’s 2007 “hypothetical” crime book If I Did It. After acquiring the rights, the Goldmans changed the book’s title to If I Did it: Confessions of the Killer and made the “If” smaller than the other words on the book’s cover.
However, it appears LaVergne has had a change of heart about the situation. He told the Hollywood Reporter the claim that Ron Goldman’s father, Fred, made will be accepted. “And his claim will be handled in accordance with Nevada law,” he explained.
O.J. Simpson’s Executor Claims His Early Remarks Were in Response to Fred Goldman’s Lawyer ‘Talking S—’
LaVergne further admitted to the media outlet that his comments about the Goldmans were more in response to the family’s lawyer immediately saying something after O.J. Simpson’s death was announced.
“Within an hour of knowing that O.J. died, he started talking s—,” LaVergne said about Goldman’s lawyer. “My advocate instinct was, ‘Oh, you’re gonna keep s—ing on him even after he’s dead?’ Fine, you know? You get nothing.’ And so, those were my remarks then.”
LaVergne then said he “backtracked” the comments because they were “harsh.” “And now I’m going in the other direction.”
Simpson’s estate executor also declared he was planning to be “hypertransparent” with the families of Brown and Goldman. He also said he wanted to invite Goldman’s mother and the person in control of Brown’s estate to a meeting at his office.
“I’m going to show my homework before I ever have to give it to the courts,” he added. “And see what we can do in terms of getting this estate in order.”
O.J. Simpson died on Wednesday, April 10, following a battle with prostate cancer.