While it might be tempting for the family of Ron Goldman to be encouraged by the estate of O.J. Simpson’s pledge to pay a settlement, they may reserve any actual excitement until after they can deposit the check into their account. After all, it’s been three decades of frustration and non-compliance since they won a wrongful death lawsuit against the former National Football League (NFL) player and actor. They certainly won’t get the satisfaction of seeing Simpson’s face if the payment is finally handed over, as he died in April 2024.
In what was billed by some as “The Trial of the Century,” Simpson was acquitted by a jury in the 1995 murder trial for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. The Goldman and Brown families followed the criminal trial with a civil lawsuit, and in 1997 a jury awarded the Goldman family $33 million in damages. To date, only a very small fraction of the amount has been paid.
After Simpson’s death in April 2024, Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman filed a creditor claim with Simpson’s estate, increasing the amount owed for interest. Malcolm Lavergne, the estate executor for the former NFL player, surprised more than a few people by announcing that the estate plans to begin making payouts to the Goldman family. As the two side negotiate to reach an agreed-on final amount, it’s likely the family of Ron Goldman won’t believe the new promise until the damages are actually paid.
OJ Going Away? No Way!
For those either not born yet or too young to remember, it can be difficult to grasp just how much the OJ Simpson murder trial transfixed the entire nation. Simpson and Brown had married in 1985 and had two children together, but Simpson’s ex-wife claimed she had been the victim of domestic violence from him on numerous occasions. The couple divorced in 1992.
On June 12, 1994, Brown and Goldman were stabbed to death outside her condominum in Los Angeles. A police investigation led to Simpson being charged for the murders. He was supposed to turn himself in on June 17, but his failure to do so led to the infamous low-speed “chase” in a white Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings. As almost 100 million Americans watched through live news coverage, Simpson was driven around Los Angeles before ending up at his home in Brentwood. He was later taken into custody without further incident.
The highly publicized and sensationalized trial began in January 1995. In addition to the question of Simpson’s guilt, the trial raised questions about racism present in the Los Angeles Police Department. The somewhat theatrical proceedings including Simpson’s “Dream Team” of defense attorneys, which included Johnny Cochrane, Robert Shapiro, and Robert Kardashian (yes, of those Kardashians).
Although the state of California’s prosecution was armed with a substantial amount of forensic evidence, the defense was able to muddle the impact of the incriminating DNA. In perhaps the trial’s most famous moment, Simpson struggled to get a pair of bloody gloves on, leading to Cochrane later uttering his famous line, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” during closing arguments.
After a trial that lasted almost eight months, it took the jury only four hours of deliberation to find Simpson innocent of the murders. In the aftermath, the Brown and Goldman families turned to civil court for justice, filing a wrongful death suit against Simpson. Shining a spotlight on the alleged abuse of Brown by Simpson, the civil case was decided in the favor of the plaintiffs to the tune of $33.5 million. Victory in the civil suit may have been satisfying, but getting the money proved to be something else entirely.
Juking Payments Like They Were Linebackers
In response to the civil trial’s outcome, Simpson declared bankruptcy and moved to Florida, which prevented the seizure of his pension. The assets that remained were sold to pay off the judgment, but the Goldman family claimed they received less than 1% of the owed amount during their often frustrating pursuit of their award.
After stonewalling all attempts to collect from Simpson’s estate for years, Lavergne did an abrupt about-face with a November 14, 2025 acceptance of Goldman’s claim in court documents filed in the Clark County District Court in Nevada. It’s not a done deal yet, as Lavergne feels that the amount that Goldman submitted “in good faith” needs to be negotiated. It could be a step in the right direction toward closing another chapter of America’s most notorious true crime case, but the Goldman’s likely won’t believe it until the damages are paid.
Related Resources
- OJ Simpson, 20 Years Later: 5 Lessons From His Criminal Cases (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
- How Are Settlements Paid? (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
- Creditors’ Rights and Collection Options (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
