The football great turned acquitted murderer said in recent years that he subsisted entirely off of his NFL and private pensions. Many of his most valuable possessions were seized following a 1997 civil trial that awarded $33.5 million to the families of Ron Goldman and Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, both brutally murdered outside her Brentwood apartment on June 12, 1994. The weapon, a knife, was never found.
“It increases by 10 percent every year,” Fred Goldman, Ron’s father, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022 of the civil trial amount awarded to the Goldmans. “It’s a ridiculous number, none of which has ever appeared. [Simpson] never paid one single penny. Anything that we were able to take was through our own efforts of taking things away from him.”
But with Simpson now dead, the story could change for the Goldmans and the Browns.
Whatever assets Simpson did have at the end of his life —and that includes real-estate holdings in Florida, a debtor-friendly state — will now be subject to a probate process in court.
If Simpson wrote a will leaving his belongings to his four children — Arnelle, 55, and Jason, 54, with his first wife, Marguerite, and Sydney, 35, and Justin, 33, with Nicole — it would first have to wind its way through the probate process, which would also consider any outstanding debts Simpson left behind.
The case will be filed in Nevada, where Simpson died. Separate cases could emerge in California and Florida, depending on the extent of his assets in those states. The millions owed to the Goldmans and Browns have a judgment lien and are deemed “secured debt” —meaning they get paid before creditors with unsecured debt.
While Simpson likely did everything he could to avoid paying either family anything, now an estate administrator will decide where the money goes. If Simpson left his assets to his children in a trust, that could protect them from creditors.
But, according to the Associated Press, “transfers of assets to others that are made to avoid creditors can be deemed fraudulent, and claimants like the Goldman and Brown families can file separate civil lawsuits that bring those assets into dispute.”
But the Goldmans are not holding their breath — and, ultimately, it’s not the money that motivates them.
“He had a team of attorneys that basically helped him hide assets,” Fred previously told THR. “When all is said and done, we received a court ruling that he was responsible for Ron’s and Nicole’s death, which was the ultimate important issue. The victims are always the important issue.”
A criminal-court jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to relatives of Brown and Goldman.
OJ makes a constant source of income through pensions, which creditors and the Goldman family cannot legally obtain. He receives $42,000 a year in Social Security, a pension from Screen Actors Guild and between $125,000 and $300,000 annually in an NFL pension.
In 1998, the $3.95 million Rockingham estate was demolished after it was bought by investment banker Kenneth Abdalla, who wanted to build a new mansion on the site.
Cook told CBS News that Simpson's death was "a death without penance" and the judgment owed to the Goldmans had with interest risen to $114 million. He also shared that Goldman and their legal team had not been able to access Simpson's NFL pension or trust. "Efforts went nowhere.
Simpson put the five-bedroom home up for auction, selling it back to the bank in 1997 for $2.6 million. A local investor picked it up for $3.95 million in 1998 and razed the mansion. He even changed the home's address to reduce any stigma associated with the former football star. It's now 380 N.
The Independent reports that creditors and the Goldman family are not legally allowed to go after his income – a combination of $42,000 per year in Social Security, a Screen Actors Guild pension and a pension somewhere between $125,000 and $300,00 per year from the NFL.
What Was Left. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Simpson's net worth was approximately $3 million at the time of his death. That money will be distributed between his four surviving children, Sydney, Jason, Justin and Arnelle Simpson.
Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Ms. Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in the 1995 criminal trial, but the civil jury in 1997 concluded that he “willingly and wrongfully” caused their deaths, and the unanimous decision included $25 million in punitive damages.
“He [still] owes on the current status of the judgment,” Cook said, adding that the judgment with accrued interest is now upwards of $114 million. Cook also said that a legal team would need to determine the value of Simpson's estate and whether it's worth posthumously pursuing his debt.
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- O.J. Simpson owes the Internal Revenue Service between $600,000 and $700,000 in back taxes and faces the likelihood of having to rent rather than buy his next home.
He served nine years in a Nevada prison and was paroled in 2017. In recent years, Simpson lived quietly in Las Vegas, where he played golf and sometimes posed for selfies with those still enamored with his celebrity. He died Wednesday from prostate cancer.
During the California murder case of People v. O.J. Simpson, DNA results indicated that blood found on a rear gate at the crime scene belonged to O.J. Simpson and that blood found on socks at Simpson's residence belonged to murder victim Nicole Brown Simpson.
Nevada Law. Simpson's will was filed with the Clark County District Court in Nevada on April 12, 2024, making it subject to the laws of that state. It provides that after expenses are paid, the remaining assets will pour into the Orenthal Simpson Revocable Living Trust.
Justin Simpson is the younger child of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson. Like his sister, Justin Simpson has led a private life and pursued a career in real estate in Florida.
With the death of OJ Simpson, I'm reminded of this photograph, which is the one that stays with me most of all the pictures. during the entire episode. In the killings, in the trial, in the acquittal, everything. And this is OJ Simpson with his children at Nicole Brown's funeral.
Christie Prody: The one person who knew OJ Simpson's deepest feelings. One person uniquely positioned to offer a perspective on the whole situation is OJ Simpson's ex-girlfriend, Christie Prody. She was his girlfriend during the early 90s when the entire murder investigation burst to the fore.
Address: Suite 492 62479 Champlin Loop, South Catrice, MS 57271
Phone: +9663362133320
Job: District Sales Analyst
Hobby: Digital arts, Dance, Ghost hunting, Worldbuilding, Kayaking, Table tennis, 3D printing
Introduction: My name is Kieth Sipes, I am a zany, rich, courageous, powerful, faithful, jolly, excited person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
