Last night’s news that Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gerald Rosenberg ordered the bundled book rights to O.J. Simpson‘s ill-fated book IF I DID IT to be auctioned off leaves a weird taste in my mouth. Not because of any moral outrage – the time for such posturing has long since passed, especially as Judith Regan‘s kept her name out of the news for the bulk of 2007 – but because really, is anyone all that interested in the book anymore? Such perceived apathy may explain Simpson attorneys’ reaction to the ruling, which dictates that proceeds from the auction and any subsequent book profits will be turned over to Goldman’s family. “This is a guarantee that if they ever publish this thing, Mr. Simpson won’t see a dime from it,” Goldman family attorney Jonathan Polak said to the Associated Press.
“What they are seeking is whatever intangible property Mr. Simpson has relating to this book,” Simpson attorney Yale Galanter added.* “There isn’t a book. There isn’t anything.” Whatever the case may be, the Goldman family hopes the still-unscheduled auction will achieve some measure of balance. “We are going to continue to plug away and try to achieve justice,” Kim Goldman said outside of court.
*Ron is impressed at Galanter’s commitment to denying the book’s existence, really he is. He is also of the opinion that as long as Michael Viner still has money in the bank, there’s probably going to be at least one dog in this hunt.