Simpson depositions for civil suit will not be sealed

Simpson depositions for civil suit will not be sealed

12/04/95

CALIFORNIA–Deposition transcripts from the upcoming civil wrongful death lawsuit against O.J. Simpson will not be sealed, a Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica ruled in mid-November.

The trial court added that it would probably allow the depositions to be videotaped in the civil suit brought by the relatives of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The videotapes would then be placed under the protection of a mediator. It is unclear at what point or in what manner the transcripts or videotapes would be made available to the public.

Simpson had argued for secrecy on the grounds that publicizing the statements would make it impossible to obtain an impartial jury for the trial, according to the Associated Press. Simpson also said that the public did not have the right to access the depositions and other pretrial proceedings.

Seven news organizations and the family of Ronald Goldman filed motions opposing Simpson’s request on the grounds that Simpson could not demonstrate sufficient harm to justify keeping the materials from the media. The news organizations were the Associated Press, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, Gannett, ABC, CBS and the Radio-Television News Association.

Simpson did not testify during his criminal trial, where he was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Simpson and Goldman. The wrongful death trial is scheduled to begin April 16, 1996. (Goldman v. Simpson)