OJ Simpson’s last will and testament was filed in a Nevada court last week, following the death of the 76-year-old former NFL player and accused murderer.
The man named as executor of the will says he is unsure what or how much is in the estate and to which creditors the money will go to pay Simpson’s significant debts.
The seven-page document places Simpson’s entire estate in a trust that was established in late January of this year and is now under the control of Simpson’s longtime attorney Malcom LaVergne, who was named as executor of the will.
LaVergne, who represented Simpson in a number of legal proceedings following his conviction on charges related to a 2007 Violet Vegas robbery, has spoken publicly about the estate.
Malcolm LaVerge, OJ Simpson’s longtime attorney, was named executor of his last will
In an interview with KNV Las VegasLaVergne said Simpson’s estate will now be included in the probate process, a complex legal exercise that requires the expert opinion of attorneys trained in probate law.
LaVergne said the family of the deceased convict is currently in funeral planning mode and has only just scratched the surface of dealing with the estate.
Simpson died because he owed a significant amount of money to the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, the two murder victims he was accused of killing in 1994.
Simpson was acquitted of the murders, but was later told by a civil court to pay the families $33 million.
Some 25 years after the murders, that figure has risen to $100 million.
However, it’s not clear that either family will see a cent of Simpson’s estate.
According to LaVergne, Simpson died owing a significant amount of money to the IRS, a creditor he believes will come before the “publicity creditors” — a reference to the Goldman family — in the “pecking order.”
ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams said Monday morning that once Simpson’s estate is fully accounted for, it will be an easier process for creditors to claim what they are owed.
Over time, the Goldman family has received about $130,000 of the many millions they are owed.
Simpson (right) pictured next to LaVerne during a parole hearing in 2017. Simpson died last week after a battle with cancer
LaVergne said he hopes the Goldman family gets “nothing.”
“I hope the Goldmans get zero, nothing. Her specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as executor or personal representative to ensure that they get nothing,” he told the Las vegas review diary last week.
It is unclear why LaVergne is so hostile to the Goldman family.
Abrams explained that despite LaVergne’s role as executor of the estate, he may ultimately have no specific control over who gets payouts and when.
For their part, the Goldman family seems as adamant as ever to keep pursuing the money they are owed.
Collections attorney David Cook said after Simpson’s death, “We have to start over here.” We are going to work on that. There might be something out there.
“We have had this problem for a long time,” he added. “It could be in a trust, it could be an estate. It could all be gone.”
The lawyer added, “I’m in San Francisco. The attorneys we hired in Nevada worked with me… At this point, we are just getting started.”
All of Simpson’s other properties were placed in a trust in January, although the full value of said properties has not been tallied.
“I cannot make a prediction at this time as to the value of the estate,” LaVergne said, adding that he was surprised he was named executor of the will.
“It’s beyond me why he would appoint me as personal representative or executor, but he has, and that’s something I’m going to take very seriously.”
Simpson is believed to have lived off his NFL and private pensions.
