The father of Ron Goldman has vowed to pursue “justice” for his late son after O.J. Simpson’s attorney claimed that the Goldman family will get “nothing” following the former football player’s death.
“The bottom line is we’ve been pursuing justice for many, many years,” Fred Goldman told Us Weekly on Monday, April 15. “And for us, the continuation of that has nothing to do with whether [O.J.] is deceased or not. We will continue to pursue that judgment and justice for Ron. Nothing has changed.”
Shortly after Simpson’s death, the executor of his will said he hoped the Goldman family receives no money from his estate. “It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” Malcolm LaVergne told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday, April 12. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”
Two days later, however, LaVergne walked back his statement. “I’m kind of backtracking from those remarks. They were pretty harsh,” he told People on Sunday, April 14, adding that acting as an executor requires a “different tact” than working as Simpson’s lawyer.
“I’ve backtracked from that since, because you’ve got to understand, there’s a learning curve to everything,” LaVergne continued. “And I was an advocate for Mr. Simpson so long, and he was able to live a really great last seven years of his life out because I was his attorney and advocate for all that time, but now my attorney hat is off, and my executor hat is on.”
O.J. Simpson Through The Years: His Life and Controversies
Fred noted on Monday that he’s not concerned about LaVergne’s statements. “It is not up to him what anybody gets,” he told Us. “He is just an arrogant guy who likes to play power man and he is not a very nice person. He is not worthy of conversation, so I have nothing to say to him.”
Simpson’s family announced his death at age 76 on Thursday, April 11. “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” read a statement shared via X. “During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
While Simpson originally rose to fame as a football player, his name later became infamous following the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron, who were fatally stabbed outside Brown Simpson’s home. Simpson was arrested for their deaths but was acquitted in 1995 after a lengthy court battle dubbed “the trial of the century.”
In 1997, Simpson was found guilty for wrongful death and battery in a civil suit and ordered to pay Ron’s family more than $33 million. An attorney for the Goldmans said last week that the family is still chasing that payment, which now amounts to more than $100 million with interest.
