this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2024

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219

Executor of O.J. Simpson's estate plans to fight payout to the families of Brown and Goldman (apnews.com)

submitted 7 months ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to c/news@lemmy.world

35 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Simpson’s will was filed Friday in a Clark County court in Nevada, naming his longtime lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, as the executor. The document shows Simpson’s property was placed into a trust that was created this year.

LaVergne told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the entirety of Simpson’s estate has not been tallied. Under Nevada law, an estate must go through the courts if its assets exceed $20,000.

Simpson died Wednesday without having paid the lion’s share of the civil judgment that was awarded in 1997 after jurors found him liable. With his assets set to go through the court probate process, the Goldman and Brown families could be in line to get paid a piece of whatever Simpson left behind.

LaVergne, who had represented Simpson since 2009, said he specifically didn’t want the Goldman family seeing any money from Simpson’s estate.

“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” he told the Review-Journal. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”

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[–] Birdie@thelemmy.club 94 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Nasty nasty man.

[+] Jarix@lemmy.world -27 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

So he should not execute the will as OJ intended? Thats not how it works

Edit. I thought you meant the executor, not the murderer OJ.

I might have massively misread your nasty nasty man comment. My sincere apologies if thats the case

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 108 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

No, he shouldn't. OJ had a financial obligation to the Goldmans for years that he shirked. He shouldn't get to keep doing so after he's fucking dead. OJ gets to control the disposition of what's left of his estate after his legal obligations are fulfilled.

And that's not even getting into the fact that HE MURDERED THEIR SON.

[+] Jarix@lemmy.world -14 points 7 months ago (4 children)

Its my understanding that the executor is legally required to execute the will as defined by the will or instructions from the deceased.

Is that not true?

Because if it isnt then im very wrong and im sorry

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 33 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

No that's not what being an Executor is. There are laws and rules you must follow before you can get to what the deceased wish done with his estate.

[–] bostonbananarama@lemmy.world 24 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Its my understanding that the executor is legally required to execute the will as defined by the will or instructions from the deceased.

You are at least partially wrong. The will cannot exceed the bounds of the law. Every state (that I'm aware of) has an order that expenses and debts are paid. An executor cannot choose to not pay a debt simply because the will says not to pay it.

[+] Jarix@lemmy.world -7 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Okay okay good information here.

But he should do his best to carry out the instructions if there are proper ways to challenge it and the will of the deceased is to make an attempt in the proper manner.

Dont we all want our executors to try to carry out our wishes to the best of their ability? I know i do, or what is even the point of having an executor at all?

And to be clear, im hoping he loses every challenge. Also i hope the families of the murdered get every penny OJ had left, i just thought people were blaming the executor who was also the murderers lawyer so he should know all of the details about what is required and necessary.

And maybe the guy is a super scummy lawyer who ISNT just doing the hes supposed to be doing, but thats not what i thought i was responding to. If im wrong my apologies, but it was a misunderstanding.

Just dont want to see lynch mobs come back into fashion and i think we are seeing us get damned close to that today. So we have to be honest even when we dont like something

[–] bostonbananarama@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

Your comments are made in the context of the OJ story, so to say "Dont we all want our executors to try to carry out our wishes to the best of their ability?" is incredibly dishonest.

Personal representatives must pay the debts of the estate. They can decline or challenge debts that they believe to be invalid. The debt to the Goldman family is a valid judgment from a court of competent jurisdiction. What legitimate challenge is the personal representative making about the debt?

I assume the challenge is an effort to waste all of the assets of the estate on attorneys fees and administration costs. Essentially so that when a court tells them that they must pay the Goldman family that there are no assets left to pay.

[–] woop_woop@lemmy.world -2 points 7 months ago

For what it's worth, I agree with your interpretation here. The executor's statements are just douchey and inflammatory, but yeah - the will says what one wants to be done. Others may contest it and the executor tries to act on your behalf to get what you want done.

[–] ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 12 points 7 months ago

If the deceased owe taxes plus interest to the government but in the will puts that all money must go to charity, that doesn't mean that the taxes don't have to be paid.

You are wrong.

[–] Birdie@thelemmy.club 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I think you can sue the estate, but the executor follows the parameters of the will.

IANAL, so grain of salt.

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 15 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I also ANAL but being an executor doesn't give you carte blanch to weaponize the courts against your debts. They were awarded that money. If there was any rational argument to lower or vacate that judgment, OJ and company had decades to proffer that argument. This just screams petty.

[–] Jarix@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

You expect OJ Simpson not to be petty when after getting away with the murder of 2 people?! I sure dont.

The lawyer is just being a lawyer, i also don't expect him to not be a lawyer.

You dont appoint a lawyer as your executor and not expect them to do lawyer things with legal documents.

The US judicial system is fucked as much as anyone elses but the rich routinely weaponize the court systems there for any number of reasons. OJ doing absolutely everything he can think of to protect his ego is pretty fucking on brand

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 7 months ago

I mean, it sounds like you're just arguing that lawyers are nasty, nasty, men by necessity.

[+] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today -33 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Well the son is dead, nothing can be done after the jury mistakenly acquitted Simpson. But did OJ really shirk obligations? AFAIK the whole reason he even wrote "IF I DID IT" was to try to pay them what was owed, and they accepted that deal.

The man's whole estate appears to be worth about 3 Million USD, and he's survived by four children. Maybe it's time we put the dead to rest.

[–] Pronell@lemmy.world 28 points 7 months ago (1 children)

No, they sued for profits from the book.

[–] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today -2 points 7 months ago

I looked it up and you appear to be correct, at the very least the rights of the publication were given to the families on Court Orders.

[–] WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 7 months ago (1 children)

What is this alternate timeline where OJ isn’t such a bad guy after all? He wrote the book because he needed cash, and was sued for the money since he still had not paid all he owed.

It’s a little hard to “put the dead to rest” when the dead person is your child and their killer is still walking the streets for the rest of his life.

[–] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today -5 points 7 months ago

He was a shit person, but I'm not seeing a better future from trying to squeeze 97 Million USD out of a 3 Million USD estate. He already served 33 years prison for a separate crime and he has 4 children who are wholly not responsible at all but may end up paying for their father's crimes.

[–] Artyom@lemm.ee 86 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I'm confused, didn't OJ love his wife until her tragic murder by parties unknown? He swore to dedicate the rest of his life finding her killer. Surely he wants to share his estate with her family.

Unless of course he's a cold-blooded murderer and killed her...

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago

Silly Artyom, truth & logic have no place in the twisted corrupt criminal justice system.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 31 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Scumbag.

[+] Jarix@lemmy.world -40 points 7 months ago (1 children)

For doing his job as required by law?

Put the blame on the asshole who died

[–] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 28 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The law requires debts be paid. Simpson has debts owed to the victims families. It’s the legal responsibility of the executor to pay those debts, not to squander it away on lawsuits like this.

[+] Jarix@lemmy.world -32 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

How old are those debts? Why arent they already paid? Im assuming theres a reason the court disnt put him back in jail for not paying it? If they were contesting this for years then why would that not resolve?

Look im not saying i want this. Im saying its gross and shitty but that YOU and I have the right be that way in our wills and this isnt the executors fault.

Too many people think the executor has more decision power than we like at times.

[–] greentreerainfire@kbin.social 17 points 7 months ago

How old are those debts?

"On February 5, 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, California, unanimously found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of and battery against Goldman, and battery against Brown. (The Brown family had not filed a wrongful death claim.)[112] Simpson was ordered to pay $33,500,000 in damages: $8.5 million in compensatory damages to the Goldman family, and $12.5 million in punitive damages to each family.[113] His net worth at the time was $11 million"

Why arent they already paid?

He claimed he didn't have the money and took actions to reduce his liability / tried to hide income so it wouldn't be directed toward this debt.

Im assuming theres a reason the court disnt put him back in jail for not paying it?

This is was a civil trial, he was acquitted on the criminal charges. His income was garnished and directed toward this debt.

If they were contesting this for years then why would that not resolve?

The families did keep taking him to court. An example is If I Did It the book he tried to publish and the families took control of the publishing and proceeds, shrinking the "If" so it looks like the title of the book is "I Did It."

This is a case of the rich/celebrity playing the system in a way normal folk can't; though in this case the families of the victims kept the pressure up so he needed to watch his step and got financial slap downs when he missteped or was caught trying to keep money without paying them.

Look im not saying i want this. Im saying its gross and shitty but that YOU and I have the right be that way in our wills and this isnt the executors fault.

Too many people think the executor has more decision power than we like at times.

I don't know what is in the will, but I can certainly imagine it does include directives to reduce payments to the families. I do agree it is the executor's job to carry out the person's intentions in the will.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 27 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Wow, what a piece of shit.

[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

He just isn't perfect. None of us are. I'll just leave that here as a reminder. https://youtu.be/UEXDz91Gf_U?si=A_r57yrvw5RFBcO1

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 24 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I assume he gets paid from the estate. Win win for him.

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Probably a flat amount not a percentage tho

[–] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Executiors can commonly charge a "reasonable" hourly rate against an estate for services rendered, like staging for selling a house, organizing an estate sale, doing paperwork, etc.

Whats reasonable or not is a bit hazy, but i'm betting the lawyer here got it written into the will to be worth his time.

[–] ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 10 points 7 months ago

This is what OJ would have wanted

[–] Sorgan71@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

I thought he died of cancer though