“There is no deal, but there have been discussions . . . There’s a lot to be gained with a resolution.” BROWN FAMILY LAWYER NATASHA ROIT
LOS ANGELES – No deal – yet.
Lawyers for O.J. Simpson, his kids and the parents of Nicole Brown all insisted yesterday they’re still trying to hammer out an agreement that would head off a costly and emotional child-custody trial.
It had been reported that Simpson and Lou and Juditha Brown settled their differences out of court in a deal that would allow O.J. to keep full custody of his kids Sydney, 13, and Justin, 10.
“There is no settlement. The parties are still negotiating,” Simpson lawyer Bernard Leckie said yesterday, quashing reports that he had pronounced it a done deal.
Both sides were caught off guard by the revelations of an agreement, and quickly moved to dispel the reports.
“There is no deal, but there have been discussions … There’s a lot to be gained with a resolution,” said Brown lawyer Natasha Roit, adding that both sides are pressing hard to settle.
“The point isn’t to make Simpson happy or to make the Browns happy. The point is to give the children a certain sense of peace.”
Simpson has had the kids since an Orange County judge ruled in December 1996 that he should retain full custodial rights. Lou and Juditha Brown had cared for them while Simpson was in jail, charged with killing his ex-wife Nicole – Sydney and Justin’s mother – and her friend Ron Goldman in June 1994.
When Simpson was cleared in criminal court and set free, the Browns launched an unsuccessful bid to have his parental rights terminated so they could have custody.
The 1996 custody ruling was thrown out earlier this year by an appeals-court panel that said evidence implicating Simpson in the brutal slayings should have been considered.
The appeals court ordered a new trial, but both sides said yesterday a settlement would be best for the kids, who live in O.J.’s rented home in the hills west of Brentwood above Pacific Palisades.
Sydney and Justin spend, on average, two weekends a month with their grandparents in neighboring Orange County.
It’s believed that lawyers are crafting a deal that would allow Simpson to maintain legal custody – and thus have the ultimate say in any key parental decisions – but would grant Nicole’s parents greatly increased access.
Marjorie Fuller, the court-appointed lawyer for Sydney and Justin, said the kids are painfully aware of the legal struggle between their dad and grandparents.
“Their wish is that there’s no more of this. No more media, no more lawyers, no more trials,” said Fuller, who has previously argued that Simpson should retain custody.