ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050112
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SANTA MONICA, CALIF.
SOURCE: LINDA DEUTSCH ASSOCIATED PRESS
A civil jury found O.J. Simpson liable Tuesday for the slashing deaths of his ex-wife and her friend, a moral victory for grieving relatives who believed the football great got away with murder.
The jury ordered him to pay $8.5 million in compensatory damages and will return Thursday to hear arguments on whether to award more in punitive damages.
As the verdict was read, Simpson remained seated and stoic, staring straight ahead.
Across the courtroom, a whoop of joy went up from the relatives of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
``Yes!'' screamed sister Kim Goldman, in contrast to the way she sobbed openly when Simpson was acquitted of murder 16 months ago.
``We finally got some justice for Ron and Nicole,'' said Fred Goldman, the aggrieved father who doggedly pursued Simpson to civil court after denouncing the acquittal. ``This is all we ever wanted. We have it. Thank God.''
``This is justice!'' Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, said as she left the courtroom.
Louis Brown, who sat stone still as the verdict was announced, stood and smiled afterward. ``I want to get outside and scream.''
The mostly white panel, forced to start deliberations anew Friday after a juror was removed for misconduct, snatched away some of the vindication Simpson claimed when he was acquitted of murder by a mostly black jury in 1995. That televised murder trial divided the nation over issues of police racism, domestic violence and the quality of justice.
This civil jury, using the lesser standard of ``preponderance of evidence'' rather than ``beyond a reasonable doubt,'' was unanimous on all counts in blaming Simpson for the June 12, 1994, slayings.
The dramatic reading of the verdict was delayed more than three hours to allow the lawyers and families time to get to the courthouse.
Simpson, wearing a dark suit, left the courthouse with his head bowed and showing no expression. A mix of boos and cheers greeted him from the huge crowd outside the courthouse.
On his way home, he dashed into an ice cream shop to get a cup of cookie dough ice cream for his 11-year-old daughter, Sydney.
Reached by telephone later at his home, Simpson told The Associated Press, ``I'm sitting with my kids right now,'' but he refused further comment.
The $8.5 million represented the value of Goldman's funeral and the loss of Goldman's companionship to his parents. Nicole Simpson's family did not seek compensatory damages.
The jury's findings of malice and oppression has triggered a second phase to determine punitive damages - money assessed to punish Simpson.
Already, the plaintiffs' attorneys have asked for and received Simpson's latest financial records in preparation for a punitive phase.
The jury reached the verdict after 17 hours of deliberations over three days - more than five times as long as the criminal jury deliberated.
That was on top of the 14 hours over three days that were interrupted Friday when the judge replaced the only black member for failing to disclose that her daughter was a secretary in the district attorney's office that prosecuted Simpson's murder trial.
The final six-man, six-woman jury consisted of nine whites, one Hispanic, one Asian and one of Asian and black heritage.
In its last day of deliberations, the jury spent three hours listening to readbacks of some 200 pages of testimony focusing on Simpson's opportunity and motive. It heard testimony about Simpson's alibi, a bruising argument with his ex-wife and a limousine driver's time line.
The wrongful death case brought by the victims' families was an abbreviated version of the criminal trial - 41 days of testimony rather than 133 - but with key rulings that took away the cameras and racial fireworks, and with the addition of new evidence.
And for the first time before any jury, Simpson took the stand, testifying for four days that he never killed anyone, and never once hit, kicked or beat his ex-wife. He was not sure how he cut his hand, suggesting he nicked himself wrestling with his son.
But the main themes of his defense remained: Simpson was the victim of an elaborate frame-up, and physical evidence and witnesses couldn't be trusted.
LENGTH: Medium: 80 linesby CNB