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OJ Simpson never paid the Goldmans the millions he owed them. Can they finally collect?

Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times on

Published in News & Features

On Friday, Simpson's will was filed in Clark County court in Nevada. It notes that Simpson's personal property had been placed into a revocable living trust created in January. The will, unlike the trust — which has not been made public — does not detail Simpson's assets or his wishes for any possessions left behind.

The Goldman family can file a claim against Simpson's estate in an effort to extract some funds, but it's not clear how much they could ultimately receive, said Elizabeth Bawden, an adjunct professor at UCLA School of Law who specializes in estate planning.

"In theory, it's very hard not to pay those debts to the extent there are assets to pay them," Bawden said. "The real question now is how much were his assets?"

Debts and charges of an estate must be paid out in a particular order and, under Nevada law, the Goldmans' claim would, in theory, be disbursed after first paying the expenses of administering Simpson's estate and any medical and funeral costs.

Just how much money Simpson had at the end of his life remains a mystery.

LaVergne declined to disclose the estimated value and said he had just begun an inventory. He said there may be value in Simpson's possessions simply because he owned them, which could increase the value of the overall estate. Simpson does not appear to own any property, LaVergne said.

 

"You're basically dealing with household items that I can assure you are in your house — furniture, cabinets, TV sets ... stuff that's in an ordinary house," he said of Simpson's possessions.

Public records show a tangled web of corporations associated with Simpson.

He is listed as the chief executive of a handful of California-based businesses, most of which were created in the 1970s or '80s. OJ Simpson Enterprises reported $873,000 in sales in March, though it's not clear where that money originated.

Recovering the damages against Simpson has proved an arduous task for the Goldman family.

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