Malcolm LaVergne, a longtime lawyer for O.J. Simpson and the executor of his estate, clarified his stance on Sunday about whether the Goldman family would receive money from the late former football player’s estate.
On Friday, LaVergne had said that the family of Ron Goldman — Simpson was acquitted of the murder of Goldman and Simpson’s second wife Nicole Brown Simpson in 1995 — should “get zero, nothing,” from the estate, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Goldman’s family are still owed more than $100 million (including interest) from Simpson following a wrongful death judgment.
On Sunday, LaVergne clarified his initial statement as NBC News reports, saying he was referring to a debt collection lawyer who he said was working with the family, who “within an hour we announced Simpson’s death, is bashing Simpson and all this stuff, ‘We’re going to do this and that.’”
“In hindsight, in response to that statement that ‘it’s my hope they get zero, nothing,’ I think that was pretty harsh,” LaVergne said. “Now that I understand my role as the executor and the personal representative, it’s time to tone down the rhetoric and really get down to what my role is as a personal representative.”
He said after he’s determined the value of the estate that he would invite a legal rep for the Goldmans to review the findings. “We can get this thing resolved in a calm and dispassionate manner,” he said.
LaVergne also reiterated that the former NFL star’s body will be cremated, with no plans to have his brain examined for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
“On at least one occasion, someone has called saying he’s a CTE guy who studies the brain,” LaVergne said on Sunday. CTE is a degenerative brain disease, which has been found and studied in NFL players and young former players alike and has been attributed to behavioral and cognitive issues related to repeated head injuries.
LaVergne added: “That’s a hard no. His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated.” He also said there are tentative plans for a celebration of life gathering for close friends and family.