O.J. Simpson’s death in April 2024 did not end the legal and financial battles that have followed his name for decades. Instead, the fight has shifted to probate court, where a former attorney now says Simpson’s estate still owes him more than $1 million in unpaid fees. The new claim adds another layer to an estate already strained by massive civil judgments and a long line of creditors.
The latest lawsuit underscores how the costs of defending Simpson, both in criminal and civil arenas, are still being tallied nearly two years after his death in Las Vegas. It also highlights a basic but brutal reality of high-profile litigation: when the money runs out, even the lawyers may end up suing.
The ex-attorney who says Simpson never paid up
The newest dispute centers on a California lawyer who represented Simpson in a series of civil matters and now alleges that a large portion of his bills were never paid. According to the complaint, the former counsel contends that he continued working for Simpson while invoices piled up, only to discover after Simpson’s death that the estate had no intention of making him whole. Reporting identifies the lawyer as a California attorney who says he is owed over $1 million for work that stretched across several years of post-conviction legal wrangling, a claim that has now been formalized in Clark County probate court in Las Vegas.
Coverage of the filing describes the case as part of a growing “estate drama,” with the attorney asserting that he was not fully paid despite continued representation and now wants $1 million from the estate. One account notes that the legal fallout tied to Simpson has left his assets “stretched thin by massive financial obligations,” a backdrop that helps explain why this former lawyer felt compelled to sue. The dispute, which involves a California attorney identified in one report as Ronald Slates, is framed as a direct challenge to the way Simpson’s remaining wealth is being managed and distributed, and it is detailed in reports on the expanding estate drama.
The $1.1 million claim and how it landed in probate court
The lawsuit spells out a specific figure: the attorney says Simpson’s estate owes him more than $1.1 million in unpaid legal fees. In one filing, he alleges that Simpson owed him over $1.1 million at the time of his death, a sum that reflects years of work on civil cases and related matters. A report from Las Vegas notes that an attorney from California has filed suit in Clark County, alleging that O.J. Simpson owed him over $1.1 million in fees, and that the claim is now part of the broader probate case unfolding in Nevada. That same account cites the figure as $1.1 m and $1.1 million, underscoring the size of the bill now being pressed against the estate.
Other coverage describes the case as a bid for $1.1 in alleged unpaid legal fees, with the lawyer arguing that Simpson and his representatives benefited from his work but never fully compensated him. One report characterizes the action as a move by a Simpson lawyer to sue the estate for $1.1 in alleged unpaid legal fees, framing it as a straightforward contract and compensation dispute rather than a re-litigation of Simpson’s underlying cases. The claim is now part of the official record in Clark County, where the California attorney has joined the list of creditors vying for a share of whatever remains of Simpson’s assets, as detailed in accounts of the $1.1 m lawsuit and the separate coverage of a Simpson lawyer suing the estate for $1.1 in alleged unpaid legal fees.
The executor, competing creditors, and a strained estate
The new lawsuit lands on the desk of Malcolm LaVergne, the Las Vegas lawyer who was appointed to represent Simpson’s estate in 2024. According to the complaint, LaVergne has been responsible for sorting through claims and managing what is left of Simpson’s wealth, a task complicated by decades-old civil judgments and fresh demands like the ex-attorney’s fee dispute. One report notes that, as of October 2025, the amount allegedly owed to the former lawyer had reached a level that prompted formal legal action, and that LaVergne had rejected a proposed settlement in November, signaling a willingness to fight the claim in court rather than simply pay it out of the estate’s limited funds.
The same reporting explains that LaVergne’s role is to balance the interests of all creditors, including the families of victims and former legal representatives, while complying with Nevada probate law. The complaint that identifies LaVergne’s appointment in 2024 also underscores how every new claim reduces what might be available to others, especially in an estate already burdened by massive obligations. The tension between the executor and the former attorney is now part of the public record, with the dispute over alleged unpaid fees and the rejected settlement offer described in detail in coverage of the attorney’s complaint.
Ron Goldman’s $117 million judgment and the $58 million deal
Looming over every fight in probate court is the long-standing civil judgment obtained by the family of Ron Goldman, who was killed alongside Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994. Goldman’s relatives had sought $117 million from the estate of Simpson, a figure that reflects decades of accumulated interest on the original wrongful death award. Reporting notes that Goldman had sought $117 m and $117 million from Simpson’s assets, and that those claims have shaped the financial landscape around the estate since long before Simpson died at his Las Vegas home. Because Simpson left behind limited liquid assets, every new creditor must contend with the priority of that enormous civil judgment.
Recent coverage indicates that Simpson’s estate has now agreed to pay a substantial portion of that obligation. One report describes an agreement in which the estate will pay $58 to the family of Ron Goldman, a deal that dramatically reduces what might be left for other claimants. The same account refers to Simpson as a “Disgraced” football legend and notes that the $58 million payment is tied to the decades-old judgment in favor of Ron Goldman, suggesting that the estate’s primary focus has been resolving that high-profile debt. The scale of the Goldman claim, and the reported $58 million agreement, are detailed in coverage of the $117 million judgment and the separate report that Simpson’s estate has agreed to pay $58 to Ron Goldman’s family.
What the fee fight reveals about Simpson’s legal legacy
The clash between Simpson’s former attorney and the estate is not just a billing dispute, it is a window into how expensive and enduring Simpson’s legal saga has been. One account notes that the California lawyer’s work helped preserve the value of the estate between $400,000 to $500,000, yet he now alleges that over $1 million of his fees went unpaid. That imbalance, if proven, would suggest that Simpson’s legal team was effectively subsidizing his defense in the final years of his life, betting that the estate would eventually make them whole. Instead, they now find themselves competing with victims’ families and other creditors for a shrinking pool of money.
Coverage of the lawsuit emphasizes that the former attorney is not a distant figure but someone who stood beside Simpson in key moments, including parole proceedings and post-conviction hearings. One report, by By Brandon Caldwell, describes how Simpson appeared at a parole hearing in LOVELOCK in JULY with his attorney Malcolm La, underscoring the central role lawyers played in managing his freedom and finances. The new complaint, filed by a Former OJ Simpson attorney from California, argues that those efforts came at a steep personal cost that has yet to be repaid, a claim laid out in detail in reporting on the Former OJ Simpson attorney’s suit and the separate account of the ex-attorney’s million-dollar lawsuit By Brandon Caldwell.
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