Simpson Deposition to Resume Feb. 19

O.J. Simpson’s deposition in civil wrongful death lawsuits filed by the families of murder victims Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald L. Goldman will be resumed Feb. 19 under an agreement reached by attorneys Tuesday.

Simpson was questioned for five days last week by attorney Daniel Petrocelli, who represents Goldman’s father Fred Goldman. Simpson’s attorney, Robert C. Baker, said he could not continue the deposition this week because of a scheduling conflict. On Monday, Michael A. Brewer, the lawyer for Ron Goldman’s mother, Sharon Rufo, asked a judge to compel Simpson to resume the deposition immediately.

But after a closed-door meeting in Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Alan B. Haber’s chambers, the attorneys emerged and said the deposition would be resumed in three weeks, just two days after Simpson’s $29.95 video infomercial is released to the public.

Haber said the deposition is to proceed on weekdays until it is concluded. The plaintiffs’ attorneys will be permitted to question Simpson about the video and about financial information that is to be turned over to them in the interim.

“I will not accept any calendar or scheduling excuses for the deposition not going forward,” Haber said.

Haber extended the cutoff date for discovery--including other depositions--to March 16. The trial is scheduled to begin April 2.

Before the attorneys reached agreement, Philip Baker, another of Simpson’s lawyers, accused the plaintiffs’ lawyers of stretching out the deposition by asking Simpson repetitive questions and playing to the cameras by holding news conferences at the end of each day’s deposition. The plaintiffs’ lawyers denied that there had been any harassment and leveled charges of their own.

“Imminently, there will be a self-promotional videotape put out by Mr. Simpson,” Petrocelli said. “I’m very troubled by the fact that he has a right to put out his side of the story, but [Baker says] no one has the right to put out what’s happening in the deposition.”

Petrocelli added, “If [Simpson] wants to make a video, that’s his right, but he shouldn’t try to silence anyone else’s right to discuss the facts in this case.”

Petrocelli and Brewer said that if Baker was sincere about his harassment claim, he could have filed a motion elaborating on his allegation, a step that has not been taken.

The attorneys also said that it is unlikely that the transcripts from the deposition will be released before Simpson’s videotape is released to the public.