The Role the Bankruptcy Court Played in the Publication of the O.J. Simpson Book “If I Did It”
By Stephen Otto, Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Attorney on Dec 1, 2007 in Bankruptcy Cases of Interest
The bankruptcy court played an interesting role in the eventual publication of the controversial book by O.J. Simpson entitled “If I Did It.” Pablo F. Fenjves and O.J. Simpson, If I Did It, (Beaufort Books 2007).
O.J. Simpson had created a corporation called Lorraine Brook Associates (LBA). Arnelle Simpson was President, and Simpson’s children with Nicole (Justin and Sydney) were each 25% owners in the company. The Goldmans allege that this was a sham company that “allowed $630,000 to flow into their father’s pockets for the publication of If I Did It.” The Goldman Family, He Did It XX (Beaufort Books, 2007).
The California state court awarded the Goldmans the right to sell O.J. Simpson’s rights, title, and interest in If I Did It at an auction scheduled by the Sheriff’s Department of Sacramento in April 2007 to satisfy the now approximately $38 million judgment the Goldmans had against Simpson.
Immediately before the sale, the Goldmans were notified that LBA had filed for bankruptcy. The federal bankruptcy court ruled that LBA was a sham company established to perpetrate a fraud. A California Court had also recently deemed LBA a sham corporation.
Several developments occurred within the bankruptcy such as a web site posting the manuscript of the book online, which was pursued by the bankruptcy trustee. See http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0620071oj1.html.
Eventually, an agreement was reached with the bankruptcy trustee. The Goldmans explain it as “confusing” and summarize it as thus: “[w]e levied on the book back in January 2007, so we had a secured claim on that asset. When it was forced into bankruptcy court, we had the biggest vested interest, since we also had the biggest claim ($38 million). We agreed to turn over a portion of the proceeds to the court in an effort to pay off LBA’s other debts, which included the Estate of Nicole Brown, which is owed $20 million.” The Goldman Family, He Did It XX-XXIII (Beaufort Books, 2007).
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