Judge orders OJ to hand over assets

A judge ordered OJ Simpson to turn over his American football Heisman Trophy, art works, jewels and other items worth more than pounds 250,000 to satisfy part of the civil award against him, according to court papers released yesterday.

A civil jury last month found Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, awarding $33.5m in damages to the estate of Nicole Brown, and Mr Goldman's parents, Fred Goldman and Sharon Rufo.

Simpson was ordered to turn over several pieces of football memorabilia, including a Heisman Trophy, a Buffalo Bills football helmet, four football jerseys, and 10 commemorative footballs. Also listed were several art works in the likeness of Simpson, including an Andy Warhol silkscreen entitled OJ Simpson. Simpson was further ordered to turn over several Tiffany lamps, jewels, glassware, and framed congratulatory letters from Richard Nixon.

Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki made the order after Fred Goldman submitted a list of more than 100 items he wanted turned over to the court to prevent Simpson from selling them. The judge ordered Simpson to surrender the property to the sheriff's department within seven days of receiving the notice, and "let the parties fight it out" over who gets what.

Simpson's lawyer said he would serve him with the papers as soon as possible but noted that "99 per cent" of the items listed no longer belonged to Simpson and had been assigned to a trust for his two young children and other unidentified third parties.