April 16, 2024
OJ Simpson’s attorney and executor of his estate, Malcolm LaVegrne, has backtracked on a recent claim he made about the families of alleged murder victims.
Earlier this week, LaVegrne vowed to prevent families of alleged murder victims, specifically Ron Goldman's, from receiving funds from a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment, which found Simpson liable for the killings.
He said: "It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing. Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing."
However, LaVegrne on Monday told The Hollywood Reporter (THR) via phone that he will ensure that the estate will accept any claim made by Goldman's parents to reclaim the money and "will be handled in accordance with Nevada law."
He admitted that his earlier remarks were not in response to Ron's father Fred Goldman, but toward his attorneys.
"Within an hour of knowing that OJ died, he started talking sh**. My advocate instinct is was, 'Oh, you’re gonna keep sh****** on him even after he’s dead?’" he said.
"’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."
The National Football Association (NFL) star, who died aged 76 last week, was acquitted in 1995 of murdering ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman, who was her friend.
In 2022, Fred told THR that he has not seen any money from Simpson in relation to the judgment in the 1997 civil trial verdict — the total of which he said is raised by 10% each year.
LaVergne said that he plans to be "hypertransparent" with the families of Brown Simpson and Goldman, as he plans 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 even have to give it to the courts and see what we can do in terms of getting this estate in order,” LaVergne said.
While speaking with The Las Vegas Review Journal, LaVergne noted that there was no court order forcing Simpson to pay a civil judgment.
As part of his will, according to The Las Vegas Review Journal, Simpson asked that some of the money go toward putting a "suitable monument" at his grave.