OJ Simpson estate signs off on $58M for Ron Goldman’s father, decades after shocking double murder

[Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.]

Fred Goldman may be closer to finally receiving payment from O.J. Simpson’s estate nearly three decades after winning a wrongful death judgment against the former football star, who was acquitted of killing his son.

Malcolm LaVergne, the executor of Simpson’s estate, has accepted Goldman’s creditor claim for $57,997,858.12 plus ongoing interest, TMZ reported on Saturday. The amount was agreed to after negotiations between the estate and Goldman, whose son Ron Goldman was killed alongside Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in June 1994.

Goldman had originally submitted a claim exceeding $117 million, representing the $33 million judgment from the 1995 civil lawsuit plus decades of accumulated interest. LaVergne disputed those calculations and offered a number roughly half of what Goldman sought. Goldman accepted, according to TMZ.

LaVergne told the outlet that the estate plans to pay as much of the approved amount as possible through ongoing auctions of Simpson’s possessions. He said some memorabilia had been stolen and that he is working with attorneys to recover it. He also plans to ask the court to award Goldman administrative fees for his guidance in managing the estate.

LaVergne has rejected most creditor claims, accepting only those from Goldman and the IRS. The estate will prioritize federal tax obligations before addressing other debts, including an approximately $636,945 claim from California. LaVergne said the state would need to pursue legal action if it wants payment.

The agreement represents a reversal from LaVergne’s initial stance following Simpson’s death last year, when he said he would never pay the Goldman family. He later changed course and agreed to accept their claim.

Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found brutally slain outside Brown Simpson’s Brentwood home in June 1994. Simpson, a former NFL star who later worked in acting and broadcasting, was charged with both murders and acquitted after a lengthy, highly publicized trial. Goldman’s parents then filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and in 1997 a civil jury found Simpson liable for both deaths, awarding $8.5 million in compensatory damages and later $25 million in punitive damages to be split between the Goldman and Brown families.

The combined $33.5 million judgment went largely unpaid during Simpson’s lifetime, and the families have received only a small fraction of what they were awarded.

For more information see Ariel Zilber “OJ Simpson estate signs off on $58M for Ron Goldman’s father, decades after shocking double murder,” The New York Post, November 15, 2025.