Even in death, O.J. Simpson’s legal troubles are far from over. The late football star is now the subject of a new lawsuit from a California attorney who claims Simpson never settled a massive legal bill.
Another Lawsuit
Ronald Slates alleges he is owed more than $1.1 million in unpaid legal fees stemming from nearly 20 years of work on Simpson’s behalf. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Slates has filed a claim in Las Vegas District Court earlier this month seeking to recover the outstanding balance. He decided to sue after the estate’s executor rejected his initial creditor claim filed in October 2025.
Slates, a lawyer who focuses on creditor-related cases, says he began representing Simpson in 2006 and continued handling various legal matters for him until Simpson’s death in 2024. The lawsuit contends that despite years of legal services, the fees were never fully paid, leaving a seven-figure debt unresolved.
The filing adds another layer to the complicated financial and legal aftermath surrounding Simpson’s estate, which has long been entangled in disputes tied to judgments, creditors, and lingering liabilities from his post-football life.
In his filing in Clark County, Slates names Malcolm LaVergne, the administrator and executor of Simpson’s estate, as the defendant.
According to the 56-page complaint, Slates is seeking $1,147,373 in accumulated legal fees, including receipts from 2021 that were allegedly billed directly to Simpson.
“A former lawyer for O.J. Simpson has filed a lawsuit in Las Vegas asking for over $1 million in back legal fees from the former football player’s estate. Ronald Slates, a California attorney, is asking the court stipulate that Malcolm LaVergne, a Las Vegas lawyer who is the administrator for Simpson’s estate, pay him over $1.1 million for unpaid legal fees, according to a lawsuit filed in District Court,” LVRJ posted on its social media post.
Slates submitted a creditor claim in October 2025, but the lawsuit alleges that LaVergne rejected the claim in full in November.
“Most of the legal fees were never paid,” Slates’ attorney Matthew Pruitt stated in the complaint, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The lawsuit comes amid other creditor actions against Simpson’s estate.
In November, LaVergne approved a nearly $58 million — far lower than the $117 million Goldman pursued under California’s creditor-friendly interest rules – creditor claim filed by Fred Goldman, the father of Ron Goldman, who won a civil judgment against Simpson stemming from the 1994 killings of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.
Goldman originally sought $117 million from Simpson’s estate, but full collection appears highly unlikely given the estate’s limited assets. LaVergne has estimated the total value of Simpson’s estate at between $400,000 and $500,000.
LaVergne told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he would respond to Slates’ lawsuit “in the ordinary course” of estate proceedings.
