Las Vegas judge orders some items to be pulled from O.J. Simpson auction

Some items included in a sale of O.J. Simpson’s property must be pulled, a judge ruled Thursday after a lawyer for Simpson’s children claimed that some of the property up for auction belonged to his clients.

Simpson, the football star who was acquitted of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, was 76 when he died April 10 from prostate cancer at his house in Las Vegas.

Goldin Auctions is holding a sale of Simpson’s possessions that is scheduled to end March 29.

Simpson’s estate is burdened by hefty creditor claims, including $117 million sought by Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman. It is only valued at about $328,000, according to a March 7 inventory, and Special Administrator Malcolm LaVergne has sought to liquidate estate assets.

According to court records, Simpson’s estate removed some disputed lots from the sale, including a grand piano and a lot with family photos, before Thursday’s hearing.

District Judge Jessica Peterson ordered that additional items Simpson’s children have claimed — a photo of Simpson and his mother, a vermouth poster, a collection of ceramic and glass — also be removed from the sale while their ownership is resolved.

Peterson awarded a 1984 softball trophy to Arnelle Simpson, Simpson’s daughter, who originally won it, and said some of the items, like the piano, will be subject to an evidentiary hearing to decide their ownership.

LaVergne, who came to court in an exercise suit, said he was concerned about the financial cost of an evidentiary hearing “gobbling up” estate assets.

Peterson said he hoped the parties would come to an agreement before a hearing.

Attorney Jack Juan, who represents Simpson’s children Arnelle and Justin Simpson, previously raised the issue of family pictures becoming publicly available.

The judge said she thinks photos that show only O.J. Simpson probably should be part of the auction, but family photos that include other people should belong to Simpson’s family.

“I know we live in a social media age,” Peterson said, “but I don’t necessarily think it’s appropriate that everybody’s lives end up on the front page of social media or TMZ or any other platform.”

Juan has also complained that Simpson’s estate was late filing an inventory.

He said Thursday that the estate still needs to disclose the contents of two storage units.

“Your honor, we’re going to have the best inventory that’s ever been filed in the state of Nevada before this is all over,” LaVergne told the court. “Everything will be filed.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.