OJ Simpson’s lawyer is not a fan of his client. Yale Galanter, whom Simpson has fought with since his 2008 Las Vegas imprisonment, shared his thoughts with Kim Goldman, sister of Ronald Goldman. A civil jury found Simpson responsible for the June 1994 murders of Ronald Goldman and Simpson’s ex wife Nicole Brown.
Now Kim Goldman has published a book six weeks before the 20th anniversary of those heinous crimes. She says that a few years ago she attempted to visit Simpson in prison, where he’s serving a long term not for the murders but for a heist gone wrong. She spoke to Galanter to arrange it, saying she needed “closure.”
Galanter did not mince words. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t think you are going to get what you are looking for. Most of us think that if your family sat down with someone that has harmed you all these times— I mean, after all this time, that you would expect an empathetic and compassionate person, but you will probably get a defiant, aggressive, not nice human. I don’t think he is who you think he is.”
Galanter continued: “Let me tell you, human to human, he’s not a warm and fuzzy guy. There is a good chance that you will be more distraught when you leave than you thought. If you are expecting to get an empathetic and emotional person on the other side of the table, you won’t get that. You know, I need to be careful, ’cause he is my client, but, Kim, he is not the affable, jovial person that the media makes him out to be. His view of the world and reality are two totally different things. He’s not a nice guy.”
Ultimately Goldman decided not to go through with it after Galanter demanded total secrecy and confidentiality about any meeting.
“Can’t Forgive: My 20 Year Battle with OJ Simpson” is published today– May 6th– by BenBella Books. Goldman could have used an editor. The book is too much about her, with very little insight about her brother. There’s also very little detail of her courtroom experiences, but lots about her personal life. (I’m sorry, but it’s not interesting.) Also, there’s nothing about the Goldmans’ interactions with Nicole Brown’s family. A missed opportunity, on many levels.
