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 Entertainment | Books | December 2006 
Simpson Sued Again, Over Book Proceeds
 Sharon Waxman - NYTimes
| | O. J. Simpson was to have published a book called “If I Did It.”(Michael Yarish/Fox) |
The ghosts of the trial of the century — last century — came haunting on Tuesday, when Fred Goldman, the father of the murder victim Ronald L. Goldman, sued O. J. Simpson in a California court for fraud, alleging that a recent book and television deal were structured to cheat Mr. Goldman out of damages owed him from a civil judgment.
In the lawsuit Mr. Goldman alleges that Mr. Simpson was advanced about $1 million for a book and a television interview exploring how he might hypothetically have killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. Mr. Simpson was acquitted of the murders in a 1995 criminal trial, but lost a civil judgment in 1997 for wrongful death.
The new lawsuit alleges that Mr. Simpson was paid for the book and TV deal through a shell corporation, Lorraine Brooke, a name taken from his two children’s middle names, “the purpose of which is to enable Simpson to avoid paying creditors.”
The lawsuit comes just days after Judith Regan, the project’s champion, was abruptly fired by HarperCollins. Her imprint within the company was to publish the Simpson book, “If I Did It,” and she had conducted the television interview. The firing followed a heated telephone conversation between Ms. Regan and a top HarperCollins lawyer in which company officials said she made remarks they considered anti-Semitic.
Since winning his civil judgment, Mr. Goldman has been unable to collect his $19 million portion of the $33.5 million jury award. Mr. Goldman’s share, according to the new lawsuit, has now accrued to more than $38 million. Mr. Simpson moved from Los Angeles to Florida, where under local law his home could not be seized by debtors, and has continued to receive his National Football League pension, which is also protected.
Reached at his home in Arizona Mr. Goldman said he was still enraged by the idea that Mr. Simpson had avoided responsibility for the jury award. “How else can it be said?” said Mr. Goldman. “He has a significant judgment against him. He’s made every effort to avoid that judgment, and as far as we’re concerned he’s doing it in a manner that’s clearly fraudulent.”
Mr. Goldman was chief among those protesting Mr. Simpson’s book and television projects as offensive. Both were canceled last month by the News Corporation, the parent of the publisher HarperCollins and of the Fox television network, which was going to broadcast the interview.
Although the projects were canceled, the lawsuit alleged that Mr. Simpson had already been paid, and would receive a large sum even “in the event that the book deal was aborted.”
In comments made after his book project became public, Mr. Simpson said that money from it would go to his children. But Jonathan Polak, a lawyer for Mr. Goldman, said that Mr. Simpson had no intention of using the money for his children and that News Corporation should have known that. “This whole book deal has smelled from the beginning, not just for its content, but for the way it had been set up to completely circumvent the Goldmans’ rights,” Mr. Polak said in an interview.
According to the lawsuit, Lorraine Brooke was created by Leonardo Starke, a lawyer for Mr. Simpson. Attempts to reach Mr. Starke in Miami were not successful, and calls to Mr. Simpson’s spokesman, Yale L. Galanter, were not returned.
Lawyers for Mr. Goldman said their suit would ultimately include HarperCollins, News Corporation and Ms. Regan as defendants. “Our theory is that Judith Regan knew of the judgment, therefore News Corp. had knowledge of it, and that the only way they could get O. J. to do the deal is if it put money in O. J.’s pocket,” Mr. Polak said. “So they sat down and figured out a deal how to get the money to O. J. and the Goldmans wouldn’t get any of the benefit.”
A spokesman for News Corporation confirmed that Mr. Simpson was not expected to repay the $800,000 he had already been given for the projects, and that the company had previously told Mr. Polak that it “would cooperate with him through the legal process to ensure justice is done in this matter.”
Bert Fields, a lawyer for Ms. Regan, said he did not see any legal grounds for implicating his client or HarperCollins in the matter. Ms. Regan “feels great sympathy for the Goldman and Brown families, but they have no claim against her,” he said. “She believed the money was going to a trust for his children.”
For nearly a decade Mr. Goldman has been frustrated in his attempts to collect on his jury award from Mr. Simpson. In September Mr. Polak filed a motion requesting the right to seize Mr. Simpson’s publicity related revenues, from things like personal appearances and autograph signings. The motion was denied and is on appeal. |
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