Judge OKs Gift of O.J. Simpson 'Lucky Suit,' But Smithsonian Turns Down Donation
Any relief that a California judge may have felt over an agreement to settle a 13-year litigation battle by donating O.J. Simpson’s lucky suit to the Smithsonian Institution was short-lived.
Hard on the heels of the agreement that the donation would settle a dispute over the ownership of the tan suit, white shirt and yellow-and-tan necktie Simpson wore in 1995 when he was acquitted on live television of murdering his former wife and a male companion, came bad news from the Washington, D.C., museum, the Associated Press reports.
“The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will not be collecting O.J. Simpson’s suit,” the Smithsonian states in a brief notice on its website. “The decision was made by the museum’s curators together with the director.”
The suit may have played a role in the former football great’s current jail sentence in an armed robbery case: Simpson claims it was stolen from him, and the apparel was mistakenly thought to be among the items he sought when he admittedly went to a Las Vegas casino hotel in an attempt to obtain sports memorabilia that he said belonged to him, according to the news agency.
Ownership of the suit is also claimed by Simpson’s former agent and Fred Goldman. Goldman won a $38 million civil judgment against Simpson over the 1994 death of his son, who was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson, and he is still trying to collect, as detailed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts.
Related earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “O.J. Simpson’s ‘Lucky Suit’ Is Discovered, Custody of Iconic Apparel Is Sought”
ABAJournal.com: “Simpson Sidelight: Offshore Accounts??!!”
ABAJournal.com: “4th Man Pleads in O.J. Simpson Hotel Armed Robbery Case”
ABAJournal.com: “Notorious Serial Killer Ted Bundy’s VW Goes on Display at ‘Murderabilia’ Museum”
