Deposition of Sharon Rufo (videotape)

📄 Deposition of Sharon Rufo (videotape) — Friday, December 6, 1996

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\DEC\6\DEPOSITION-OF-SHARON-RUFO-VIDE.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 27 of 57

◀ Rufo deposition announcement Direct examination of Sharon Rufo (part 1) ▶

Examiner: Michael Brewer
Called by: Plaintiff • Date: Friday, December 6, 1996 • Utterances: 78

Sharon Rufo, Ron Goldman's biological mother, testifies via videotaped deposition about her extremely limited contact with Ron after he moved to California. She describes only four total communications with him before his death, including a poignant 2.5-hour phone call two days after Mother's Day 1990 in which Ron described his struggling finances and attempts to join the LAPD.

# 1 Q:

(MR. LEONARD) Did you have any communication of any kind with -- with Ron from the time he left for California until his death?

# 2 A:

Yes.

# 3 Q:

Can you tell me how many times you communicated with him?

# 4 MR. BREWER:

When you say communication, you're talking written or oral?

# 5 MR. LEONARD:

Yeah, anything.

# 6 MR. BREWER:

Okay.

# 7 A:

Four times.

# 8 Q:

(BY MR. LEONARD) When was the first time that you recall, and again, it's not --

# 9 A:

No, this --

# 10 Q:

I would be shocked if you had a date.

KEY QUOTE

# 11 A:

The -- this I remember, it was --

# 12 Q:

Okay.

# 13 A:

It was Mother's Day of 1990.

# 14 Q:

(BY MR. LEONARD) Oh, okay.

# 15 (Excerpt ends.)

# 16 (Excerpt begins.)

# 17 Q:

(BY MR. LEONARD) Oh, okay. So you -- so Ronnie called --

# 18 A:

Yes.

# 19 Q:

-- two days later?

# 20 A:

Yes.

# 21 Q:

And I mean, two days after Mother's Day?

# 22 A:

Yes.

# 23 Q:

And just relate the discussion you had.

# 24 A:

Actually, it was -- it was quite nice. We talked for approximately two -- two to two and a half hours, and he was telling me about his -- how anxious he was to finally get in touch with me. And he was -- indicated to me that he was struggling financially.

# 25 Q:

Um-hum.

# 26 A:

And that he was taking a -- or had completed taking a written exam for the LA Police Department.

And he told me he had cut his hair and it was -- 'cause he always had a cowlick and now he didn't have it, he cut it, you know, sort of like -- he said like from "GQ" magazine. And he put on some weight. And we talked about his social life.

And we really didn't get into the past, we were just trying to -- I was just trying to get as much information out of him as I could 'cause it was a few years that I -- since I had talked to him.

# 27 (Excerpt ends.)

# 28 (Excerpt begins.)

# 29 Q:

(BY MR. LEONARD) Are you prepared to go forward?

# 30 A:

Yes.

# 31 Q:

My question was, did you have a discussion with -- with Fred about his taking the children to California?

# 32 A:

Yes.

# 33 Q:

And in general terms, can you relate that discussion?

# 34 A:

Just that he was -- he had a job promotion and he was taking the children to California.

# 35 Q:

And what did you say to him, if anything, about that?

# 36 A:

Just the fact that it would be a long distance for me to see the children. That's about it.

# 37 Q:

Okay.

When you say one of the things you discussed with -- with Ron in this phone call two days after Mother's Day, was that you were struggling financially --

# 38 A:

Yes.

# 39 Q:

-- do you recall in any detail what you described about that?

# 40 A:

His exact words were, his life was in a shambles, and he had no job, and he was trying out for the police department. And, like I said, about his general appearance.

KEY QUOTE

# 41 Q:

Is there anything else you recall about that two-and-a-half-hour discussion?

# 42 A:

Not really.

# 43 Q:

Okay.

When was the next time that you had any communication with Ron after that?

# 44 A:

Approximately six weeks after, I talked to Ronnie on the phone, I wrote him a letter. I had -- I hadn't heard from him, so I wrote him a letter.

# 45 Q:

Okay.

When you -- during the course of -- let me back up a little bit.

During the course of the conversation with Ron, did you -- did you get his phone number?

# 46 A:

I believe I did, yes.

# 47 Q:

Okay.

And you got his address?

# 48 A:

Yes.

# 49 Q:

And did you -- did you give him your phone number -- well, obviously you had.

# 50 A:

Yeah.

# 51 Q:

Stupid question.

So you hadn't heard from -- from Ron for about a six-week period?

# 52 A:

Right.

# 53 Q:

Is that -- you were expecting to hear from him?

# 54 A:

Yes.

# 55 Q:

Had you made some arrangement with him --

# 56 A:

Yes.

# 57 Q:

-- that you would speak to each other?

# 58 A:

Yes.

# 59 Q:

Now -- and then you wrote a letter to him?

# 60 A:

Yes.

# 61 Q:

Did you attempt to call him during this six-week period?

# 62 A:

Yes.

# 63 Q:

Okay.

And did -- were you able to get through to him?

# 64 A:

No.

# 65 Q:

Why not?

# 66 MR. BREWER:

What do you mean "why not"? I mean obsioulsy he wasn't there or --

# 67 MR. LEONARD:

I'm asking. I don't know.

# 68 A:

He wasn't there.

# 69 Q:

(BY MR. LEONARD) Okay.

Did he have an answering machine at the time?

# 70 A:

No. If he did, I didn't know about it. It wasn't working.

# 71 Q:

Okay.

Was he living -- where was he living? I don't mean the address, but do you know where -- whether he was living with other people or...

# 72 A:

He had a roommate.

# 73 Q:

Okay.

And how many times did you try to call him during that period, do you remember?

# 74 A:

Approximately one or two times.

# 75 Q:

Did you ever -- did you ever reach anyone and leave a message?

# 76 A:

No.

# 77 Q:

Okay.

Did you -- other than the LA -- taking the LAPD exam, did Ron mention anything else to you about employment; in other words, that he was working or where he was working? And I'm talking about the telephone conversation.

# 78 A:

I believe it was for United Cerebral Palsy.

Temperature

emotional

Key Quotes (3)

Sharon Rufo

His exact words were, his life was in a shambles, and he had no job, and he was trying out for the police department.

Ron Goldman's own characterization of his circumstances, conveyed through his estranged mother — establishes his state of mind and circumstances in the period before his death.

Sharon Rufo

He was telling me about his -- how anxious he was to finally get in touch with me.

Establishes that Ron wanted to reconnect with his mother, adding emotional weight to their estrangement and the limited contact they had.

Dan Leonard

I would be shocked if you had a date.

Rare moment of warmth/humor from counsel, acknowledging the difficulty of recalling exact dates from years prior.

Notable Exchanges (2)

Dan Leonard•Sharon Rufo

Rufo recounts the Mother's Day 1990 phone call — Ron's physical changes (haircut, weight gain), financial struggles, LAPD exam, and two-plus hours of catching up after years of estrangement.

revealing

Dan Leonard•Sharon Rufo

Leonard establishes that Fred Goldman took the children to California for a job promotion, and that Sharon's only objection was the distance it would put between her and her children.

strategic

Light Moments (1)

Dan Leonard

Leonard jokes 'Stupid question' after asking if Sharon had given Ron her phone number — then catching himself that Ron obviously called her first.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 0 overruled)

Proceeding 8523 • 78 utterances • Plaintiff witness

Civil Trial

Department 103