Word: goldman
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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None of the Goldman family will speak the name O.J. Simpson. It is not a public relations ploy; in strategy sessions with the lawyers, Fred Goldman, who is adept with every legal and evidentiary detail of the case, always refers to Simpson as "the killer." Goldman was devastated by the criminal verdict. "I was numb; I was blown away. I had thought a hung jury was possible, but I had never imagined an acquittal. Our family recognized the need to be there for each other, and as difficult as another trial would be, we felt we had to do this...
During the criminal trial, many observers worried about Goldman's mental state. His rage at Simpson was so great that some feared Goldman might seek to take justice into his own hands. Says Goldman: "Of course you get angry. But that is the difference between decent folks and criminals. You do not commit acts of violence. I will never accept the fact that he walks free. And I would have preferred a conviction in the criminal case. But the biggest difference between the two trials is that this was our case against him. We got to call the shots...
...serve as an all-purpose hand, he chose Tom Lambert, a senior lawyer who has tried complex securities litigation, and Ed Medvene, another senior partner, who specializes in white-collar-crime cases. These four lawyers would be the backbone of the case. Since they were representing the Goldmans, the next issue was how to deal with John Kelly, the lawyer representing the Nicole Brown Simpson estate, and Michael Brewer, the lawyer representing Sharon Rufo, Ronald Goldman's birth mother, who first filed the wrongful-death suit. Dissension and egos at first threatened to splinter the case, but Petrocelli soothed...
Though Simpson spent some of the time playing golf as the jury deliberated, waiting for the verdict proved to be excruciating for most of the principals. Fred Goldman spent the first Thursday afternoon of deliberations just driving alone around Los Angeles. Denise Brown was at her parents' house in Orange County, trying to comfort her mother Juditha. Juditha was worried about Denise, convinced that Simpson would somehow hurt her. The Browns were also concerned about logistics: How would they get into the courthouse when the verdict came down without going through the media-and-heckler gauntlet? They sent an emissary...
...verdicts were unanimous: Simpson was liable on all eight counts and was ordered to compensate the parents of Ron Goldman with the sum of $8.5 million for his wrongful death. The size of the triumph stunned even the engineer of the victory. At the Doubletree, Petrocelli hugged his wife and son Adam. "We couldn't have done better. I didn't think it would be unanimous. Isn't it incredible?" As his young assistants and clerks celebrated, Petrocelli slumped into a chair. Someone offered him champagne. "No. Not now. I need some time to just try and take this...