O.J. Simpson’s estate has finally agreed to pay Fred Goldman a multi-million dollar settlement.
Fred is the father of Ron Goldman, who was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson outside Nicole’s Brentwood home in June 1994. OJ was tried for their murders.
The former footballer was acquitted of murder after a long and highly publicized trial that lasted more than a year.
The Goldman and Brown families together filed wrongful death lawsuits against O.J. in 1995 and were awarded more than $33 million in damages.
However, the Simpson Foundation paid only a fraction of the order amount.
Mr. Simpson passed away in April 2024 at the age of 76.
Three months later, Fred filed a claim for $57,997,858.12, “the approved amount plus judgment interest,” according to documents obtained by People magazine, which executor Malcolm LaVergne filed in Nevada’s Clark County District Court earlier this month.
LaVergne told TMZ that some of the items that could have been auctioned were stolen, and that the foundation intends to pay back as much as possible and is working with lawyers to regain ownership of them.
Fred filed a claim for more than $117 million, but Malcolm disputed the interest calculation and said in court documents that he would “continue to work” with Fred on a “more accurate” interest calculation.
Lawyers for the Goldman family pointed out that “affirmative acknowledgment of debt” does not constitute payment.
“This acceptance allows the administration of the claims to move forward in probate. We will continue to monitor the probate process as it progresses.”
The Goldmans may have to wait until they see the cash.
Simpson’s estate will first settle payments to the IRS to satisfy its federal tax obligations. He owes the state of California approximately $636,945.
The agreement marks a shift from Mr. LaVergne’s earlier position that he would never pay the Goldmans.
He then changed tack and actively acknowledged their claims.
