OJ Simpson Death Leaves Multimillion Debt To Victim’s Family, Legal Battle Ahead According To Attorney
Whether you were alive and old enough to follow the trial at the time or weren’t born yet and grew up hearing about the aftermath, you’ve heard of the trial and acquitting of OJ Simpson.
While Simpson was officially found not guilty of the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, he was ordered to pay the family of the victims a sum of $33.5 million.
It’s a debt he never paid, and now, following his death, it’s spurred a legal battle as the families of those lost try to get back what they’re owed.
An Infamous Legal Saga
The murder trial of OJ Simpson was one of the most infamous legal sagas in American history. While in the 30 years since the trial concluded, the case has mostly only stayed in the limelight thanks to pop culture references, Simpson’s recent death on April 10 (cancer, age 76), is giving the Goldman family another opportunity to claim what they should have received decades ago.
OJ Simpson Owed $114 Million
David Cook, an attorney representing Fred Goldman, the father of Ron Goldman, disclosed that OJ Simpson owed the Goldman family $114 million at the time of his death.
According to Cook, Simpson’s financial obligation to the Goldman family stemmed from a 1997 wrongful death lawsuit, in which Simpson was found liable for the deaths of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the families of the victims.
Debt Ballooned Because Of Non-Payment And Interest
Despite the court ruling, OJ Simpson consistently failed to fulfill his financial obligations to the Goldman family. Cook revealed that since the 1997 trial, Simpson had only disbursed a sum of $133,000, leaving the outstanding debt to balloon to the astonishing $114 million total due to interest.
This is not the first time the Goldman family has attempted to collect what was due. Efforts by previous legal representatives of the Goldman family to procure OJ Simpson’s assets, including his NFL pensions and trusts. However, Simpson managed to evade all aspects of his financial responsibility until the end of his life.
A Wild Book
In a small victory for the Goldman family, they obtained the rights to OJ Simpson’s book If I Did It, which provided some financial reprieve through book sales.
Following OJ Simpson’s death, Cook made a public statement sharing his thoughts, “He died without penance. He did not want to give a dime, a nickel to Fred, never, anything, never.”
Still Legal Options Available?
And while that may have been true during OJ Simpson’s life, his debt is legally owed to the Goldman family. This means that there could be something the family can do to obtain the cash now that he’s dead.
Despite decades of failed legal proceedings, the family is looking to hire lawyers in Nevada, Florida and California to see what their options are.
Cook is already in the process of connecting with “very smart people” to plan the family’s next steps and how to counter whatever legal protections OJ Simpson may have set up to protect the funds. But, ultimately, it all comes down to what Fred Goldman wants to do.
Fred Goldman On O.J. Simpson
“This is just a reminder for us of how long Ron has been gone, how long we have missed him and nothing more than that,” Fred Goldman said about OJ Simpson’s death.
“That is the only thing that is important today. It is the pain from then until now. There is nothing today that is more important than the loss of my son and the loss of Nicole. Nothing is more important than that.”
Source: People
