Executor accepts a negotiated settlement as the estate prepares to liquidate assets and prioritize major creditors.
The long-running effort by the Goldman family to collect on their civil judgment against O.J. Simpson has taken a significant step forward. The executor of Simpson’s estate has agreed to honor a multimillion-dollar settlement that could finally deliver a substantial payment nearly three decades after a jury found Simpson liable for Ron Goldman’s death.
In newly filed court documents, estate executor Malcolm LaVergne formally accepted Fred Goldman’s creditor claim “in the amount of $57,997,858.12 (U.S.), plus judgment interest on the approved amount.” Goldman’s original filing sought more than $117 million, but LaVergne told TMZ that the two sides ultimately settled on the lower figure after negotiations, saying he believes Goldman made “a good faith effort” to determine the appropriate total even if the interest calculation was disputed.
LaVergne said the estate intends to pay off as much of the approved amount as possible as it continues selling Simpson’s possessions. Some items, he noted, may have been taken without authorization. He said he is working with attorneys “to regain possession of some of these items.” He also plans to ask a judge to award Goldman an administrative fee for assisting him in navigating the estate’s management — an indication that relations between the two sides have grown more cooperative.
The executor added that the estate has rejected nearly all other creditor claims, with the exception of Goldman’s and one filed by the IRS.
According to LaVergne, federal taxes will be paid before any other outstanding obligations, including a claim from the State of California totaling “approximately $636,945,” which he said the state will need to sue to recover.
Simpson was acquitted in the 1995 criminal case involving the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, but the Goldman family won a civil lawsuit the following year, securing a judgment of more than $33 million. Only a fraction was ever collected. Following Simpson’s death last year, LaVergne initially vowed not to approve the family’s claim — a stance he later reversed, leading to the agreement now moving through probate.
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Source: Black Enterprise
