O.J. Simpson's Estate Has Officially Agreed to Pay Fred Goldman Millions, 31 Years After the Murder of His Son Ron By Toria Sheffield

The estate of the late O.J. Simpson has officially accepted a multimillion-dollar claim from Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman’s father — 31 years after the Goldman family won a wrongful death suit against the NFL star.

The creditor claim was submitted by Fred in July 2024 for the amount of $57,997,858.12, “plus judgment interest on the approved amount,” per paperwork obtained by PEOPLE that was filed by the estate’s executor, Malcolm LaVergne, in the Clark County District Court in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 14.

Fred filed the claim for more than $117 million, but Malcolm stated that he believes Fred’s computation of interest — while “done in good faith” — was inaccurate, per the court documents. Malcom stated he would “continue to work” with Fred on a “more accurate” interest calculation.

While speaking to TMZ, Malcolm said the estate plans to pay out as much of the amount as possible as they continue to auction off items. He additionally claimed that some items have been stolen from the estate, and he is currently working with lawyers to regain possession of some of them.

He further told the outlet that he plans to ask the court to award Ron a fee for advising him on how to run the estate.

In a statement to PEOPLE, the Goldman family’s attorney, Michaelle Rafferty of Maupin, Cox & LeGoy, said, “The Executor’s acceptance of the claim is a positive acknowledgement of the debt. It does not constitute payment. This acceptance allows the administration of the claim to move forward in probate. We will continue to monitor the probate process as it progresses.”

O.J. was acquitted of the 1994 stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, 35-year-old Nicole Brown Simpson, and 25-year-old Ron, in 1995. However, the Brown and Goldman families took the former athlete to civil court the following year. They were awarded more than $33 million in the wrongful death suit, but O.J. ultimately paid very little of the amount owed. 

O.J. died of cancer in April 2024 at the age of 76, still in debt to the families.

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“He [O.J.] died without penance,” David Cook, an attorney for Fred, told PEOPLE at the time. “He did not want to give a dime, a nickel to Fred, never, anything, never.”

Cook additionally told PEOPLE that previous lawyers from the family had sought to obtain pensions that O.J. received from the NFL, but they “went nowhere with it.” Lawyers also potentially looked at obtaining the money from O.J. trusts as well, but they kept hitting a wall.

Following the news of O.J.’s death, Fred told PEOPLE that it was a “reminder” of his loss at the time. 

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“This is just a reminder for us of how long Ron has been gone, how long we have missed him and nothing more than that,” he said. “That is the only thing that is important today. It is the pain from then until now. There is nothing today that is more important than the loss of my son and the loss of Nicole. Nothing is more important than that.”