OJ Simpson’s lawyer forced into U-turn over compensation for victims over late athlete’s estate

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OJ Simpson’s lawyer forced into U-turn over compensation for victims over late athlete’s estate
OJ Simpson’s lawyer forced into U-turn over compensation for victims over late athlete’s estate

Attorney Malcolm LaVergne has admitted that he now will accept Fred Goldman’s claim after boldly stating that ’the Goldmans get zero, nothing’ of OJ Simpson’s estate

The executor of OJ Simpson’s estate, who vowed to prevent his victim’s families from receiving a single cent from his death, has humiliatingly walked back his comments.

Attorney Malcolm LaVergne had pledged to do "everything in my capacity" to prevent relatives of the former football star’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman from receiving damages after he was found liable for their deaths.

The lawyer has now said he wanted to walk back comments he made last week following Simpson’s death, in which he expressed hope that "the Goldmans get zero, nothing."

"I can tell you in advance Fred Goldman’s claim will be accepted. And his claim will be handled in accordance with Nevada law," LaVergne has now said to The Hollywood Reporter.

He claimed his comments last week were not directed at Ron’s father, Fred Goldman, but at the lawyers who are representing him. "Within an hour of knowing that OJ died, he started talking s**t, " LaVergne said of the Goldman’s lawyer. "My advocate instinct, [it] was, ‘Oh you’re gonna keep s***ting"  on him even after he’s dead? 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." Simpson died of cancer last Wednesday at the age of 76. 

He only paid a reported $133,000 of the $33.5 million a civil court awarded the parents of Nicole and Ron who were murdered in June 1994.  After Simpson was acquitted of the killings following a criminal trial, he was sued by the families in 1997 and found liable for both deaths in a civil lawsuit.

Fred Goldman (C), father of Ronald Goldman, his daughter Kim (L) and wife Patty eiqrkihzidzdinv

OJ Simpson was acquitted of the murder of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Image: WireImage)

The lawyer also addressed the matter on Good Morning America on Monday, admitting he currently doesn’t know how much the estate is worth. He said: "Personal belongings, anything they have like that, is going to be part of the estate. So I will be doing inventory and trying to see what is out there."

Kim Goldman, Ron’s sister, hit back at LaVergne’s comments as she told the show: "Our family will follow the law, as we always have; we will continue to do our diligence." In response, Malcolm said it is his "hope the Goldmans get zero," suggesting the estate needs to take care of other things including Simpson’s substantial IRS debt.

Thomas Brown

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