O.J. Simpson and Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Settle Legal Dispute

Posted on: April 8, 2021, 11:00h. 

Last updated on: April 8, 2021, 12:04h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

O.J. Simpson and The Cosmopolitan casino resort in Las Vegas have settled their lawsuit regarding a 2017 incident involving the notorious celebrity. 

O.J. Simpson Cosmopolitan Las Vegas lawsuit
O.J. Simpson poses outside his Las Vegas home in June of 2019. The 1968 Heisman Trophy winner recently settled his lawsuit with The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. (Image: AP)

In November of 2017, The Cosmopolitan removed the former NFL star from the Strip property on grounds that the then-70-year-old was intoxicated and disorderly while inside the resort. 

Reports of Simpson’s alleged disruptive behavior were leaked to celebrity gossip site TMZ, which reported on the incident. Hotel staff said Simpson was drunk and disruptive, verbally angry at casino employees, and the altercation ended with “glasses broke at the bar,” according to TMZ.

Two years later, Simpson’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against The Cosmopolitan. They argued claims that their client was drunk were false, and that Cosmo’s gossip leak to TMZ was an effort to “defame and embarrass” Simpson.

“The matter has been resolved,” Simpson’s lawyer Malcolm LaVergne told TMZ this week. Court records show the case status as “dismissed.” LaVergne did not reveal the terms of the resolution. 

The Cosmopolitan has been owned by private equity behemoth Blackstone Group since 2014 when the firm paid $1.73 billion for the Strip property. 

Case Was Permitted to Proceed

Attorneys representing The Cosmopolitan countered Simpson’s lawsuit claims by saying it’s impossible to defame his reputation because it’s already greatly battered. 

Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995. But he was later ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages after being deemed liable for Goldman’s death and battery against Brown. 

In 2008, Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon charge. That stemmed from when he led a group of men to a Palace Station casino hotel room in Las Vegas to recoup memorabilia he claimed was stolen from him. Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after nine. Parole occurred in 2017, and Simpson made Las Vegas his home. 

Cosmo lawyers said the casino exercising its right “to issue a trespass notice” against Simpson and remove him from the property did not negatively impact the reputation of the “convicted felon.” The casino asked the court to reject the lawsuit.

In January of 2020, a pretrial commissioner with the Clark County Court’s Eighth Judicial District said the case could continue. Simpson was seeking $50,000 in damages from the casino. 

Parole Requirements

Under Simpson’s supervised five-year release, which is to run through 2022, the Nevada Department of Parole and Probation requires him to avoid associating with felons. He must also inform the state if he changes residences. 

Simpson is additionally prohibited from consuming illegal drugs and drinking alcohol over the amount of Nevada’s blood-alcohol limit for driving. 

Simpson lawyers say their client underwent drug and alcohol testing the morning after The Cosmopolitan incident. State officials said the results were negative of intoxication and illegal substances.

Today, Simpson spends most of his days playing golf around Southern Nevada.