Suit Simpson wore to '95 acquittal will be offered to Smithsonian

Los Angeles, California (News Terupdate) - The brownish-green suit that O.J. Simpson wore the day he was acquitted of murder in what has often been described as the "trial of the century" will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution -- if the museum wants it.


A judge has approved the transfer Monday, said Fred Goldman, the father of the man the ex-National Football League star was accused of killing.

It ends a years-long battle between Goldman and Simpson's former sports agent, Mike Gilbert, who has the suit.

Simpson stood trial on charges of stabbing to death his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman outside her luxury townhouse in Brentwood on the night of June 12, 1994.

The highly publicized trial lasted more than nine months and ended on October 3, 1995, with a jury finding Simpson not guilty.

Later, Brown and Goldman families took Simpson to civil court to seek damages for wrongful death. That jury found Simpson liable for the deaths and awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to the Goldman family and to Ron Goldman's biological mother.

Since then, Fred Goldman has been trying to collect the money. Simpson has consistently said he did not kill the two and should not have to pay.

In 2008, Gilbert, the sports agent, appeared on the "Dr. Phil" television show, claiming he had the suit and pants Simpson wore on the day of the acquittal. He also said the "acquittal suit" -- as it came to be known -- was worth $50,000.

Monday's decision, said Goldman, "takes any option out of the killer's hands or Gilbert's hands to sell it and make money on it."

The Superior Court judge ordered the suit donated to the Smithsonian. If the museum passes on it, it will be offered to another museum.

Meanwhile, Simpson, 62, is serving a nine-year sentence in Nevada after his conviction on robbery and kidnapping charges in an unrelated case.

The case involved a botched attempt in September 2007 by Simpson to retrieve items that he said had been stolen from him by memorabilia dealers.

Posted in: