As the wrongful-death civil trial of O.J. Simpson sputtered toward conclusion last week in Santa Monica, California, a key issue that hung over the courtroom was money. With Simpson's camp openly proclaiming he is out of cash, many observers were left wondering what the plaintiffs stood to gain.
Ron Goldman's father Fred has said he simply wants a jury to find Simpson responsible for his son's death. His lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, offered a stirring closing argument that even some Simpson defenders conceded was the most masterly in either the criminal or civil trial. Petrocelli again cataloged the physical evidence: the blood in the Bronco, the hair fibers, the newly discovered photographs of Simpson wearing the Bruno Magli shoes that he denied owning. "There's a killer in this courtroom," Petrocelli declared, pointing at Simpson. Quoting a 16th century French poet, Petrocelli concluded, "'My lovely living boy, my hope, my happiness, my love, my life, my joy.' Fred Goldman's lovely living boy is no more."
As many in the courtroom wiped tears from their eyes, it was left to Simpson lead attorney Robert Baker to persuade them to focus on questions of police corruption and contamination of evidence. Baker offered his own interpretation of the lawsuit brought by Ron Goldman's parents and the estate of Nicole Brown Simpson. Said Baker: "This isn't a fight for justice. It's a fight for money."
The problem with the notion of monetary retribution is that Simpson insists he is broke. His friends and lawyers support this claim. They say his net worth, estimated at $11 million only four years ago, has been annihilated by legal costs, the upkeep of his large estate and the loss of the $1 million a year he once received from his contracts with Hertz and NBC.
However, while Simpson is indeed beset by payment demands from lawyers, contractors, gardeners, housekeepers, bodyguards, accountants and even the IRS, he is far from broke. In fact, most Americans would still consider him quite wealthy. A TIME/CNN investigation into Simpson's finances, which involved searches of public records and court documents and interviews with key sources, has found he is worth $3 million and probably more. Most of that money is untouchable, meaning that Simpson can look forward to a comfortable retirement even if there is a large judgment against him.
Where is this money? Is it, as some have theorized, locked away in opaque offshore havens such as Belize or the Isle of Man? (The Goldmans were so concerned that Simpson might have tried to hide money offshore that they engaged international sleuth Kroll Associates to find it.) The truth is closer to home. While Simpson may have stashed some funds overseas, the bulk of his remaining wealth is sunk into completely legal, completely domestic havens: two pension and retirement funds that he set up long ago and that now hold at least $2.5 million, according to sources close to the case.