Ordinarily, Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson resides on the wrong side of the “v” in litigation. This time around he’s the plaintiff, for a change.
Via the Associated Press, Simpson has sued the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas for defamation. Simpson claimed that unnamed employees of the hotel-casino lied when claiming that he was ejected from the property for being drunk, disruptive, and unruly.
The unnamed employees made their claims to TMZ, which is not a defendant in the lawsuit. Simpson denies that he was belligerent, broke glass, or damaged property.
While it’s impossible that a lie was told about Simpson, a defamation claim entails compensating the plaintiff for the damage done to his pre-existing reputation. Which makes the exploration of his pre-existing reputation fair game.
Simpson is widely believed to have killed two people. Although he was acquitted in a criminal court, a civil court found him responsible for the deaths. He went to prison for seven years on felony charges. In comparison, getting kicked out of a hotel-casino for being drunk, disruptive, and unruly is nothing.
A defamation lawsuit provides the defendant with a license to dig into every nook and cranny of the plaintiff’s life. Simpson has not nooks and crannies but canyons and crevices. Assuming he’s represented by counsel, the mere fact that a lawyer signed off on the filing of this claim could be regarded be some as evidence of malpractice.