The Murder trial of O.J. Simpson
Roesler’s savvy, groundbreaking reputation in the often-murky waters of intellectual property precedes him. He is frequently called on by celebrities from Bill Cosby, to Richard Nixon, to Muhammad Ali as an advisor and expert witness. At the 1997 O.J. Simpson civil trial, he received international acclaim as the authority whose testimony brought some closure to the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
Roesler definitively established Simpson’s future worth as $25 million, and his credibility resulted in the jury’s award of that exact amount.
Although Simpson filed an appeal to reduce damages, the decision was upheld in January 2001, and Roesler’s testimony once again deemed a fair and accurate assessment.
As an expert witness in the O.J. Simpson civil trial, “Roesler pegged the value of the football star’s future net worth, including merchandising and publicity opportunities, at $25 million — exactly what the jury awarded the families in punitive damages.”
– The New York Times
Rufo v. Orenthal James Simpson, 86 Cal.App. 4th 573 (2001). In this case, the author of this report, Mark Roesler, served as the expert for the plaintiffs in evaluating the proper measure of punitive damages against O.J. Simpson in the wrongful death of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The punitive damages were based on an evaluation of Simpson’s potential revenue from his name, image and likeness through out his lifetime. Mr. Roesler’s valuation was that the value of Simpson’s right of publicity during only the remaining years of his life was $25 million. It was that exact amount that was then awarded by the jury. Simpson appealed the verdict claiming the amount was excessive, but earlier this year (2001), the appellate court upheld the amount.