O.J. Simpson’s executor begins probate proceedings

The executor of O.J. Simpson’s estate began probate proceedings on Wednesday afternoon.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime Las Vegas attorney, filed a petition to name himself as special administrator of the estate, formally starting probate proceedings after Simpson’s death at his Las Vegas home in early April.

Probate court is designed to resolve someone’s assets and liabilities after their death and to distribute funds to “creditors and beneficiaries,” according to a statement from LaVergne’s attorneys, Michael Olsen and Thomas Grover.

Simpson died at 76 from prostate cancer. He rose to fame as a football star but then became known as the man accused and acquitted of brutally killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994. He also faced legal trouble in Las Vegas, and was convicted of a 2007 robbery of sports memorabilia from a Palace Station hotel room.

He was sentenced to between nine and 33 years behind bars, and was released from Nevada prison in 2017.

LaVergne, who had represented Simpson since 2009, was named as the executor of the estate in Simpson’s will, which was filed in Clark County court shortly after his death. The will placed all of Simpson’s property into a trust that was created in January, court filings show.

The petition filed Wednesday asks a judge to formally name him the special administrator, allowing him to “investigate and secure estate assets.”

According to the petition, the full extent of Simpson’s estate remains unknown.

“As the administration of the Estate is in its early stages, Mr. LaVergne cannot provide specific details about the Estate at this time,” LaVergne’s attorneys said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

LaVergne had told the Review-Journal that he would fight to prevent the payout of a $33.5 million judgment awarded by a jury in 1997 to the families of Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.

He later walked back those remarks and said that he plans to handle any claims against Simpson’s estate “in accordance with Nevada law.”

Due to interest accumulated over nearly three decades, Ron Goldman’s father is owed approximately $114 million, attorney David Cook, who represents Goldman’s father, previously told the Review-Journal.

LaVergne has also said that “it’s unrealistic” to expect that the Goldmans will see the full payment for the civil judgment.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.