O.J. Simpson ordered to turn over Rolex watch

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - O.J. Simpson was ordered on Tuesday to give up a Rolex watch valued at up to $22,000 and sports memorabilia as partial settlement of a multimillion dollar judgment for the wrongful deaths of his former wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gerald Rosenberg ordered the former football star to turn over sports items that he is accused of having stolen in an armed robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in September.

Most of the items were taken from Simpson after he was charged with stealing his own sports memorabilia from collectors. They are currently in the custody of the Las Vegas police and include signed footballs and clothing.

In 1995, Simpson, 60, was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and Ron Goldman, but a civil court jury found him responsible for their deaths and ordered him to pay their families $33.5 million in damages.

"Mr. Simpson is going to walk out of Las Vegas (broke)," David Cook, a lawyer for the Goldman family, told Reuters. Cook said the Rolex watch, photographed on Simpson's wrist last month in Las Vegas, has a retail value of between $5,000 and $22,000.

When or if Simpson comes into possession of the disputed items, they will be turned over for sale to the L.A. County Sheriff, Cook said. Proceeds would then go the Goldman family.

Tuesday's ruling marked the latest effort by the Goldman family efforts to collect on the civil judgment.

In July, the family acquired the rights to the controversial ghost-written book "If I Did It" -- a hypothetical account of how Simpson might have carried out the killings. The book last week reached the No. 2 spot on the New York Times list of non-fiction best sellers.

Also on Tuesday, the judge said Simpson must give the Goldman family any royalties he might earn from a video game that includes his likeness.

Representatives for Simpson, who is free on bail, were not immediately available for comment.