Sucking the Life Out of the Juice: An OJ Simpson Update
“In what may be an unprecedented legal move, Fred Goldman is asking to have control over O.J. Simpson’s publicity rights to his own likeness, name and persona to satisfy a multimillion-dollar wrongful death judgment. Goldman’s son, Ron, was killed in 1994 along with Nicole Brown Simpson. Simpson was acquitted in the killings of his ex-wife and her acquaintance – a waiter who had come to her Los Angeles home to return a pair of eyeglasses.
However, Simpson was found liable in a wrongful death civil case in 1997 and ordered to pay a total of $33.5 million in compensation to the Brown and Goldman families. Goldman attorney Jonathan Polak said that even though it’s believed Simpson has gotten financial compensation for his appearances at trade shows and exhibitions, only a small amount has been turned over to the Goldmans. Goldman’s lawyers announced the move in a brief news conference with Goldman and his daughter, Kim.
“With this filing, Mr. Simpson will finally have to answer to the judgment before him,” Polak said.
Simpson’s $4 million pension, set up when the former pro football star, actor and ad pitchman was making millions, is not subject to civil court judgments. “Simpson has made a career of using the law to avoid justice,” Polak said. “Now Mr. Goldman can use the law to get justice.”” (CNN.com, AP)
Wow, I can’t believe I just read that. How ridiculous is this story? I love that it points out that the Brown and Goldman families were awarded 33 million before announcing that all they want now is few thousand more from poor OJ’s autograph business. What was truly awesome about this development is that it gave CNN: Headline News the chance to show a recent clip of OJ Simpson at a nightclub. The video, which was so totally random, featured OJ awkwardly partying at a bar with a girl on his lap while two other women danced with each other. Everyone was giggling and OJ kept saying things, “Oh yeah, that’s so hot.” But you could tell he was uncomfortable because of the cameras. Who was taping this? Why? How did CNN get it and what did it have to do with this new Ron Goldman story? These are all good questions, but sometimes you have to approach CNN: Headline News like it’s a David Lynch film: just watch it, don’t ask questions and try to appreciate it. (NOTE: I am a huge Lynch fan and I think that most of his movies make sense after about 17 viewings, except Lost Highway. I have no idea what’s happening in Lost Highway.)
Anyway, where the hell was I? Oh yeah, Freddie Goldman. This is a ludicrous attempt at something, something fishy, though I’m not really sure what. Maybe Fred Goldman has a book coming out in a couple of months and he needed to warm up the media machine with a little OJ-slandering news. I don’t know, the whole thing doesn’t make a lot of sense. Only in America can you A) be found NOT GUILTY of murder, B) be found “responsible” for the murder that they just said you didn’t commit, and C) get sued over the rights to your image many, many years after the fact.
Look, I am not trying to defend OJ Simpson, far from it actually. I think he’s as guilty as sin, but unfortunately it didn’t turn out that way. If Fred Goldman truly wanted justice he should have used part of the 33 million he was award in the first place and hired a hit man. Why not? You don’t think a few mil could solidify a clean, discreet assassination. Who would miss OJ anyway? Kato? Come on, I was shocked that this didn’t happen.
Bottom line is this: the system fucked up. OJ Simpson murdered two people and then he was set free because our legal system shat the bed. That’s all. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last time. It sucks but you just have to move on, and hope that he doesn’t kill again.
