SANTA MONICA – O.J. Simpson has won a legal battle against the father of a murder victim who had sought control of the former football star's publicity rights to help satisfy a judgment in a wrongful-death lawsuit.
Superior Court Judge Linda Lefkowitz rejected Fred Goldman's petition, determining such a move would harm a living celebrity's privacy rights. Simpson was acquitted in a criminal trial of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. However, Simpson was later found liable in 1997 in a wrongful-death suit.
Associated Press
Crews bracing hotel,
will search for bodies
RENO, Nev. – Crews began installing beams yesterday to stabilize the charred remnants of a casino-district hotel where six people died in an arson fire, hoping to enable investigators to start retrieving bodies.
Authorities said at least five bodies remained in the 84-year-old Mizpah Hotel.
Investigators have charged Valerie Moore, 47, a paroled murderer who lived at the hotel, with starting the blaze by igniting a mattress.
Associated Press
Independent voters
increase in state
SACRAMENTO – Nearly one in five state voters is registered as an independent, continuing the erosion in support for the two major parties, according to a report from the Secretary of State's Office.
Democrats hold an eight-point advantage over Republicans, a slight decrease from two years ago. Currently, 42.5 percent of voters are Democrats and 34.3 percent are Republicans. At the same time, independents grew from 15.2 percent of the state's electorate four years ago to 18.7 percent.
Associated Press
