O.J. Simpson executor will ‘deal’ with Ron Goldman’s family; ‘walking back’ his ‘harsh remark’

O.J. Simpson’s longtime lawyer and executor said he’s going back on previous comments about preventing Ron Goldman’s family from getting “zero, nothing” of Simpson’s estate.

“I’m walking back those remarks, and I will deal with Fred Goldman’s claim in accordance with Nevada law,” attorney Malcolm LaVergne told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday, referring to Ron Goldman’s father. “It was a harsh remark, and I’m walking them back.”

LaVergne, who had represented Simpson since 2009, was named the executor of the estate in Simpson’s will, which was filed in Clark County court on Friday.

LaVergne previously told the Review-Journal that he would fight to prevent the payout of a $33.5 million judgement awarded by a jury in 1997 to the families of Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

Simpson, who died Wednesday at 76 from prostate cancer, first rose to fame as a football star, and was then known as the man accused of brutally killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in June 1994. He was acquitted of the murders in a monthslong, highly publicized Los Angeles trial.

LaVergne said Monday that he was speaking as Simpson’s longtime lawyer when he said he didn’t want the Goldmans to receive any money. Now, LaVergne said that he will willingly work with the Goldmans or Browns to determine their claims on Simpson’s estate.

“I’ve gone from one extreme to the other,” LaVergne said. “So it’s important for me now to be hyper transparent.”

Under Nevada law, Simpson’s estate will have to make other payments before awarding money to judgements. Payments such as administrative costs, funeral expenses and other debts will need to be handled first.

LaVergne said that “it’s unrealistic” to expect that the Goldmans will see the full payment for the civil judgement.

“Right now, we don’t have a lot of money in O.J.’s estate,” LaVergne said, adding that he has tallied one of Simpson’s bank accounts that is “less than five figures.”

Simpson also had a substantial debt to the IRS, which LaVergne said is now “under six figures.”

LaVergne has previously said that Simpson is set to be cremated. He confirmed on Monday that Simpson’s brain will not be donated for scientific research, despite requests to study it for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease known as CTE that is associated with repeated head injuries.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at [email protected].