I got a little flak for criticizing the family of Ron Goldman for trying to hawk O.J. Simpson's scrapped book about how he murdered Ron and Nicole Brown, "If I Did It." What happened to Ron was heinous and wrong, but as one of my readers pointed out, having someone rich and famous kill your loved one should not mean you've won the lottery. I'm sorry the jury system failed them -- and fail them they did. But the idea that civil suits are the way to handle criminal matters really doesn't sit well with me. A big percentage of the population has lost a loved one in an unfortunate manner (murder, accidents, disease, other crimes) so I don't think the Goldmans are any more deserving of compensation for their loss than anyone else. When innocent children are killed by stray bullets in gang fights do their families get paid millions? When serial killers murder dozens of prostitutes do their families get rich? Don't even get me started on how much I think 9/11 victims' families deserve -- that includes one of my friends -- but I will tell you it starts with a "z" and ends with an "o."
But even if you disagree with me on this, did the Goldmans ever think about how having this vulgar and disgusting book -- which they were so indignant about when it was benefiting Simpson and his children by Nicole -- would make Nicole's family feel? Denise Brown spoke out yesterday and said she was "shocked and horrified" by the Goldmans' actions. In a prepared statement, she said she couldn't bear that her sister’s two children "will have to be subjected to this step by step manual on how their mother and her friend Ron were murdered." It's a shame that the Browns are being re-victimized to satisfy the Goldmans' misplaced anger and greed. (AP)
2 comments:
What a weird stance. Are you against all civil suits then? SO if someone crashes their car into you, you shouldn't get compensated? Or is a car wreck somehow different than a murder? THere is a difference between payout funds like 9/11 and a civil suit. IN the former, taxpayers make victims rich for something the taxpayers had no hand in. In the latter, a wrongdoer pays civilly for something he did wrong. I'm against payout funds, but don't see how you can possibly object to this kind of civil suit without objecting to tort recovery in general.
(As for the idea that criminal acquital should mean no civil liability, why should the GOldmans have to suffer because the LA DA is a moron? Also, the burdens of proof are different; criminal burden is higher).
I agree with you to an extent, Kenneth. I think the GOLDmans are beyond sick to even consider publishing the book. Fighting to take away OJ's assets from it had he been allowed to publish it? Yes, because that would have been depriving him, taking $ he owes. But they did the right thing in getting control of the book and are doing his memory and all the victims' family members a huge disservice by publishing the book for cash. It's sick and wrong and makes their civil judgment more about the money than about the justice it was perceived to have meted out in lieu of the abominable criminal trial. But I do also dislike the concept that you can be shown to be "not guilty" criminally but still be liable civilly. It's a strange system. In this case, I'm happy with anything that harms OJ. But in theory, it feels wrong. As for the 9/11 families, I don't think they deserve zero. If nothing else, they could point out the deficiencies in the buildings, in that infamous "don't leave" announcement that went out, in the airlines' lax security measures (it's kinda messed up that even still you can see into/have access to the cockpit when you board planes...)—there is blame to go around in theory, and as far as our country's responsibilities toward them, what about the fact that those people who died basically took a blow that was directed at our country? I don't stay awake nights tossing and turning because they were given money. Should death lead to obscene wealth? In some cases, maybe. But in most cases, it's not obscene wealth we're talking about. Even several million is a drop in the bucket of lifetime earnings. Anyway, it's murky. But I'm fine with the 9/11 families getting cash, and I'm fine with the Goldmans having a cash judgment...and not so fine with them milking their judgment in such an indefensibly crass way.
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