Less than two months after O.J. Simpson succumbed to prostate cancer at the age of 76, issues surrounding the settlement of his estate and the judgments owed to others has made headlines once again.
Malcolm LaVergne, the disgraced football star’s longtime representative and now executor of his estate, has initiated discussions with the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Simpson’s will, filed in a Clark County court the day after his death, formally appointed LaVergne as the executor of his estate.
According to the attorney, these discussions were to be centered on fulfilling the financial obligations stemming from Simpson’s 1997 civil liability judgment for their wrongful deaths.
However, a substantial tax lien “blindsided” the executor and has become an obstacle for the debt to be fulfilled.
An Unpaid Judgement
Simpson, acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife and youngest children’s mother Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, was later found liable in a civil court and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the victims’ families. Despite this ruling, Simpson never paid these damages during his lifetime.
The debt seems like it won’t be paid any time soon, as LaVergne has recently become aware of a massive tax lien from the state of California totaling $572,402.69, TMZ reports.
This lien has derailed his plans to address the outstanding civil judgment immediately.
Particularly since, with interest, the unpaid debt has reportedly ballooned to around $100 million, exacerbating the situation.
Earlier this month, LaVergne convened a meeting at his Las Vegas office with a lawyer representing the Goldman family and an assignee for Ron’s mother, Sharon Rufo, who had previously auctioned her rights to the judgment. The meeting involved a thorough review of Simpson’s financial documents, including tax returns, 401(k), and bank statements.
Not present at the meeting were any representatives for Brown Simpson’s estate, despite an invitation being extended.
While not connecting with LaVergne about money owed, two members of Brown Simpson’s family, her sisters, Dominique and Denise Brown, are currently promoting a new two-day Lifetime docuseries about her life and her murder called “The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson,” according to “Entertainment Tonight.”
Settled Beef and Turn Arounds for the Estate
Following Simpson’s death, LaVergne initially declared he had no intention of paying the settlement to an intention to the Goldman family.
“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,” he said to the Las Vegas-Review Journal.
He has since changed his mind, explaining why his comments were so “harsh.”
“That ‘zero, nothing’ remark to a local reporter was harsh and in response to what an attorney for Fred Goldman said (within an hour of notification of OJ’s death), not Fred Goldman himself,” LaVergne wrote to CBS in a statement. “Mr. Goldman’s personal post-OJ death remarks have been non-offensive and understandable given the circumstances.”
LaVergne says his hope is to resolve the financial matters equitably, but the newfound tax debt presents a hurdle for him to do that.
A Potential Solution to His O.J. Simpson Estate Problems
He acknowledges that they may need a potential court intervention to address the tax lien, which he fears could significantly eat up any funds available for settlement.
To address these financial challenges, LaVergne is considering an auction of Simpson’s assets. The items under consideration for sale include a Heisman Trophy (which might not be the original statue), paintings, golf clubs, a black SUV, a grand piano, and various personal items such as video reels, furnishings, and old photographs featuring Simpson with notable figures like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali.
The tax liens could also affect inhertances of Simpson’s children. He has two with Nicole Brown Simpson, who are now adults — Sydney Simpson, 38, and Justin Simpson, 35 — and have their own families. His oldest is Arnelle Simpson, 55. Jason Simpson is 53. OJ had Arnell and Jason with his first wife, Marguerite Simpson, to whom he was married from 1967 to 1979. Another child the couple had, Aaren Simpson, died in 1979 at age 2 after drowning in the family pool.
