Direct examination of Fred Goldman (part 1)

📄 Direct examination of Fred Goldman (part 1) — Monday, December 9, 1996

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\DEC\9\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-FRED-GOL.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 28 of 57

◀ Opening of court Sidebar: hearsay objection ▶

Witness: Fred Goldman
Examiner: Daniel Petrocelli
Called by: Plaintiff • Date: Monday, December 9, 1996 • Utterances: 230

Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father and lead plaintiff, takes the stand as the final witness in the civil trial. Petrocelli walks him through Ron's life from birth to just months before his murder — his childhood, scrapes with the law, financial troubles, and his transformation into a health-conscious young man building toward a restaurant career. The testimony is designed to establish Ron as a fully realized human being for damages purposes.

# 1 MR. PETROCELLI:

As our final witness, plaintiffs call Fred Goldman.

FRED GOLDMAN, Plaintiff, called as a witness by and on his own behalf, was duly sworn and testified as follows:

# 2 THE CLERK:

You do solemnly swear that the testimony you may give in the cause now pending before this Court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

# 3 FRED GOLDMAN:

So help me God, I do.

# 4 THE CLERK:

Please, state and spell both your first and your last names for the record.

# 5 FRED GOLDMAN:

Fred Goldman, F-r-e-d, G-o-l-d-m-a-n.

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. PETROCELLI:

# 6 Q:

Morning, Mr. Goldman.

# 7 A:

Morning.

# 8 Q:

I'd like to talk with you this morning about your relationship with your son, Ron.

When was Ron born, Mr. Goldman?

# 9 A:

July 2, 1968.

# 10 Q:

And you are how old?

# 11 A:

Pardon me?

# 12 Q:

You were how old at the time.

# 13 A:

I was 28.

# 14 Q:

And you are how old now?

# 15 A:

Fifty-six.

# 16 Q:

And you turned 56 on?

# 17 A:

Friday.

# 18 Q:

This past Friday, right?

# 19 A:

Correct.

# 20 Q:

At the time Ron was born, you were married to Ron's mother, Sharon Rufo?

# 21 A:

Correct.

# 22 Q:

And did Sharon and you have another child after Ron?

# 23 A:

Yes, Kim.

# 24 Q:

And when was Kim born?

# 25 A:

December 26, 1971.

# 26 Q:

Three years between Ron and Kim?

# 27 A:

Yes.

# 28 Q:

And Kim and Ron are our your only two children?

# 29 A:

Yes.

# 30 Q:

After Ron and Kim were born, they lived with Sharon and you?

# 31 A:

Correct.

# 32 Q:

And then was there a time when Sharon and you split up?

# 33 A:

Yes.

# 34 Q:

And how old was Ron at the time?

# 35 A:

Ron was 6.

# 36 Q:

And for the first year following the end of your marriage with Sharon, who did Ron and Kim live with?

# 37 A:

Ron and Kim lived, for the first year, with Sharon.

# 38 Q:

That's when Ron was six years old?

# 39 A:

Yes.

# 40 Q:

Kim was three?

# 41 A:

Correct.

# 42 Q:

And during that time, that first year when they were with their mom, did you see your son?

# 43 A:

All the time.

# 44 Q:

And did you talk to him?

# 45 A:

All the time.

# 46 Q:

And after that first year, did Ron and Kim come to live with you?

# 47 A:

Yes.

# 48 Q:

And how old was Ron then?

# 49 A:

Ron was seven then, and Kim would have been four.

# 50 Q:

And from that time on, did Ron continue to live with you?

# 51 A:

Yes.

# 52 Q:

Okay.

# 53 MR. PETROCELLI:

Can we put on Exhibit 1 [sic].

These are all photographs taken from Exhibit 771.

# 54 (The instrument herein referred to as Series of photographs of Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman, and Kim Goldman was marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit No. 771.)

# 55 (Photograph of Ron Goldman and Kim Goldman walking with their backs to the camera, was displayed on the Elmo screen.)

# 56 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) Who is that a picture of, Mr. Goldman?

# 57 A:

Ron and Kim.

# 58 Q:

And is that about the time when Ron and Kim came to live with you?

# 59 A:

It's actually before that. It was when Ron was a little past six and Kim three. It was shortly after we were divorced.

# 60 Q:

And then you raised Ron and Kim on your own for a number of years, right?

# 61 A:

Yes.

# 62 Q:

And then, at some point, did you get married again?

# 63 A:

Yes, I did.

# 64 Q:

And when was that?

# 65 A:

1977, I believe.

# 66 Q:

And --

# 67 MR. PETROCELLI:

Would you put on the next picture, the second photo.

THE COURT REPORTER: Exhibit number, please?

# 68 MR. PETROCELLI:

They're all from Exhibit 771.

# 69 (Photograph of Fred Goldman wearing a tuxedo, Ron Goldman, and Kim Goldman was displayed on the Elmo screen.)

# 70 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) That is a picture of Ron and Kim and you?

# 71 A:

Yes.

# 72 Q:

What is the occasion?

# 73 A:

The day that I got married.

# 74 Q:

To your second wife?

# 75 A:

Second wife.

# 76 Q:

And her name was?

# 77 A:

Joan.

# 78 Q:

And did Joan, you, Ron, and Kim all live together?

# 79 A:

Yes, we did.

# 80 Q:

For how many years?

# 81 A:

Four.

# 82 Q:

Up until the time when Ron was about what?

# 83 A:

'77, -- '81 -- 13 -- 13 or 14, if my math is correct.

# 84 Q:

And at some point in time, did your relationship with Joan come to an end?

# 85 A:

Yes, it did.

# 86 Q:

You and she were divorced?

# 87 A:

Yes.

# 88 Q:

Did Ron and Kim continue to live with you the whole time?

# 89 A:

The whole time.

# 90 Q:

Can you tell us a about your relationship with your son when he was a boy?

What kind of boy was he? And we just want to share some of your thoughts about that.

# 91 A:

Ron was -- Ron had a smile on his face from the day he was born, and he was a happy-go-lucky kid that never seemed to have a care in the world.

He was truly Kim's big brother. She always referred to him as her second father.

He was always there for Kim.

KEY QUOTE

# 92 Q:

Did you do the normal things a father and son do together?

# 93 A:

Yeah. We were in Indian Guides together; that's a program through the YMCA for fathers and sons.

Ron was in little league, and we did all of that stuff together. Ron and I, neither one of us were major fans of -- of sports, so we did a little of that, but not a lot. But all the normal father and stuff -- father-and-son stuff.

# 94 Q:

Did you take vacations together?

# 95 A:

All the time.

# 96 Q:

Can you put up the next picture, Steve

# 97 (Photograph depicting Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman, and Kim Goldman, who was wearing a sombrero, displayed on the Elmo screen.)

# 98 Q:

Can you tell us about this photograph?

# 99 A:

That was a trip to -- the three of us went on alone. I surprised Ron and Kim. They didn't know where we were going until we got to the airport. We went to Alcapulco.

# 100 Q:

So the three of you were all very close growing up?

# 101 A:

Very much so.

# 102 Q:

Okay.

And when Ron got into high school, did you -- did your relationship with him stay close?

# 103 A:

It was always close. There was something special about our relationship. No matter what, nothing ever seemed to get in the way. It was always this bond that never dissipated.

When Ron went into high school, it was the same.

# 104 Q:

And what about discipline?

# 105 A:

Well, I think we had probably the normal father/son/daughter problems.

The one that I can probably think of was that Ron and I had a deal about him getting to school when he first started high school.

We lived about six or -- yeah, maybe five or six miles away. And there was -- there was a bus service from the school, but if you missed the bus, you were out of luck. And there were numerous times that Ron missed the bus, and I was -- became the designated driver. And we had kind of a deal at some point, that, if Ron missed the bus again, he'd have to walk to school. And he did -- and he did. And that was the last time he walked to school.

# 106 Q:

Did you --

# 107 MR. PETROCELLI:

Could you put on the third photo.

# 108 (Photograph of Ron Goldman, lying down, wearing a yellow shirt, was displayed on the Elmo screen.)

# 109 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) This about high school for Ron?

# 110 A:

Yes. That was in 1985, December of 1985, December or January of '85.

# 111 Q:

And put on the next photo.

# 112 (Photograph of Ron Goldman, wearing cap and gown was displayed on the Elmo screen.)

# 113 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) Is this Ron's high-school graduation --

# 114 A:

Yes.

# 115 Q:

-- in Illinois?

# 116 A:

Yes.

# 117 Q:

Now, after Ron graduated from this, Mr. Goldman, what did he do?

# 118 A:

After he graduated from high school?

# 119 Q:

Yeah.

# 120 A:

Ron went to Pierce -- Not Pierce College -- went to Illinois State University in -- in Illinois.

# 121 Q:

For how long did he go there?

# 122 A:

Ron went for only one semester.

# 123 Q:

And why did he stop going to college for one semester at Illinois State?

# 124 A:

Like with a lot of things, we had a deal, if you would, about goals. And Ron's goal was certain grades in college. And the deal was that if he didn't make his goals at the end of first semester, he'd have to come home at the end of first semester.

And he spent a little too much time playing and not enough time studying, and he ended up coming home.

# 125 Q:

Okay.

And after he came home from college, did -- was it about that time when you married Patty?

# 126 A:

Yes. Patty and I got married in February of 1986.

# 127 Q:

And Patty brought to your family children of her own?

# 128 A:

Three.

# 129 Q:

And they are --

# 130 A:

I think I just said '86. We got married in '87.

She wouldn't let me forget that we missed that one.

# 131 Q:

And Patty's children are?

# 132 A:

Patty's children are Bryan, who is now 21; Michael, who is 18; and Lauren, who is 16.

# 133 Q:

And with Patty's three children and your two children, what did the new family do after your marriage?

# 134 A:

Well, three days after we got married, we put two families together and moved to California, and -- what some people, I guess, call the Brady Bunch. But I can assure you, that's not real life, but it was still a lot of fun.

# 135 Q:

And you moved to California?

# 136 A:

Moved to California three days after we got married.

# 137 Q:

And you moved into Agoura?

# 138 A:

Agoura, yes.

# 139 Q:

And that's where you still live?

# 140 A:

Still live.

# 141 Q:

Now, Ron was about 19 years old then?

# 142 A:

Ron was -- in '87, he would have been 17. He was just 18.

# 143 Q:

And Ron moved in with you?

# 144 A:

Correct. Correct. We all lived together.

# 145 Q:

What kind of relationship did Ron have with Patty's three children?

# 146 A:

Ron instantly became everybody's big brother, besides Kim. He was Brian's, Michael's, and Loren's instant big brother.

Ron loved kids, and it was real easy for him to take on the additional role.

# 147 Q:

And what did Ron --

Well, let me ask you this: How did Ron take to living in Southern California?

# 148 A:

He loved it. He was like a duck to water. He absolutely loved California, loved the mountains, loved the ocean.

He was in -- he was in ecstasy when he came here.

# 149 Q:

And what did he begin to do with himself?

Did he go to school?

# 150 A:

Shortly after we moved here, Ron -- that's September -- started at Pierce College.

# 151 Q:

And how long did he stay there?

# 152 A:

Ron was there, again, one semester.

# 153 Q:

And how did Ron do in school?

# 154 A:

Okay.

But Ron, I guess, at that point, and me later, discovered that Ron just wasn't cut out to be a student. He had other aspirations. And it was -- it was tough for me to accept that for a while, but it made sense, ultimately.

# 155 Q:

It was tough for you in what way?

# 156 A:

Well, I guess like a lot of parents, perhaps, it was my feeling that the way to -- to success was going to be college. And -- but to -- the way around success wasn't going to -- going to be -- wasn't going to be college; it was -- it was going to be other things. It was hard for me to accept that.

# 157 Q:

When Ron left Pierce College, did he do something with his time?

# 158 A:

When he left?

# 159 Q:

Yeah.

# 160 A:

Oh, yeah. Ron was always working. He had jobs during Pierce -- during Pierce. Ron actually had several jobs.

He applied for a job that was -- there was one at -- Pierce, had a little -- as it was ultimately explained to me, they -- they had a little table out, looking for students to apply. And it was for a camp, to be a counselor. And Ron applied and was hired.

# 161 Q:

It was a camp for?

# 162 A:

Inner-city kids, a sleep-over camp, and Ron was hired as a counselor.

Actually -- excuse me -- a nighttime counselor. Ron would go there late in the afternoon and stay overnight.

# 163 Q:

And Ron enjoyed helping the children?

# 164 A:

He loved it.

I met the -- the woman that hired Ron, and she told me once that Ron was the only student from Pierce that applied that was enthusiastic, and that was the reason she hired him. And she said that Ron would stay up late with the kids, helping them with -- with their future. And she said the one thing that she remembered that Ron would always tell them, is go to school; I didn't, but you need to get your life organized. And I made enough mistakes for all of us, so don't any of you make them.

# 165 Q:

Did Ron, at some time, get a job working with patients at the United Cerebral Palsy Hospital?

# 166 A:

Yeah. Ron first got a job at a resident's home in Westlake with cerebral palsy patients.

First, it was a volunteer position that ultimately turned into a paid position. He was responsible for the care of the patients, helping them get dressed, helping feed them, outings, and the like.

# 167 Q:

And during this time, Ron is still living with you in your home in Agoura?

# 168 A:

Yes, yes.

# 169 Q:

Now, there came a time in about 1990, when Ron decided to move out on his own?

# 170 A:

Yes, he did.

# 171 Q:

And he's about 20, 21 years old then?

# 172 A:

1990, Ron was almost -- going on 22.

# 173 Q:

And where did Ron go?

# 174 A:

Ron lived first in Calabasas, and then ultimately -- he moved -- he moved a couple of times -- Woodland Hills.

# 175 Q:

And Ron was living in apartments, would you say, for the next several years?

# 176 A:

Yes.

# 177 Q:

And during that period of time, did you maintain a relationship with Ron?

# 178 A:

Always. It never stopped.

# 179 Q:

And what sort of things did you do together?

# 180 A:

I guess the normal things. You know, we spent as much time as humanly possible. I'd meet Ron for lunch, or dinner, or he'd meet us.

Ron, since he lived close, it was easy to always stop by the house.

Ron was always involved with everybody and if -- if some of the kids had things going on, Ron was always there for those, as well.

# 181 Q:

And what was Ron doing with -- with his time when he was living out -- what kind of work was he doing?

# 182 A:

Primarily waitering. He had a job for a short while, working for a job recruiter, but ultimately, Ron was doing a lot of work -- working as a waiter.

# 183 Q:

In various --

# 184 A:

Various restaurants, right.

# 185 Q:

And did Ron have his share of screw-ups as a young man?

# 186 A:

He did. Without question.

Probably the two biggest, or maybe the single biggest for Ron was a combination of things.

Ron would say, as would Kim, that they learned to drive with a little lead foot from me. Ron got himself a pack of traffic tickets and ultimately lost his license. And then, even worse, he was picked up for driving with a suspended license, and he was, in fact, arrested.

# 187 Q:

And he called you from the jail?

# 188 A:

He called -- it was late one night. He called the house. Kim woke me up. And I went down to get him out.

That happened, actually, one more time. But that time, it seems to me, almost a year later, his license had still been suspended and he had risked it again and was driving. And at that point, I was not aware of it, because he called Kim who was up at Santa Barbara, going to school.

He told her that he didn't want me to know about it. He wanted to handle it on his own. And as I found out later, he went before the judge, and the judge offered him a choice of, pay a fine or go to jail for four days.

And he made the choice to go to jail for four days.

# 189 Q:

And you didn't know about it at the time?

# 190 A:

I didn't know about it until after the fact, no.

He said -- told us later that he wanted to handle it on his own.

# 191 Q:

And in regard to handling his finances, working as a waiter, how good did Ron do?

# 192 A:

Oh, Ron got himself into a bit of a financial pickle.

He literally got himself into debt over his head. And we had numerous conversations about that. And there was some discussion at one point about filing bankruptcy. But at first, Ron wanted to try to work it out. But it -- it became way too -- way too burdensome. He wasn't making enough money through his -- his waitering job to cover that and -- And rent, et cetera. And he ultimately, after he and I went to a financial counselor to see if he could work it out, he ultimately, about six months after that, filed bankruptcy --

# 193 Q:

And --

# 194 A:

-- reluctantly.

# 195 Q:

-- how much did he owe?

# 196 A:

He really got himself in deep. He owed somewhere close to $12,000, real deep.

# 197 Q:

Did you offer to just give him the money?

# 198 A:

No. It was a tough decision. I didn't.

I had always, I guess you can say, practiced tough-love parenting, and I -- it was something -- that was something I would have had a problem doing, bailing him out.

Ron understood. Ron didn't have a problem with that. He wanted to handle it on his own.

# 199 Q:

As part of this, did Ron make the decision to move back into your home?

# 200 A:

It was in good part because of that. The ultimate move back home, finances were just getting too tough.

# 201 Q:

This is around 1992 --

# 202 A:

19 --

# 203 Q:

-- that he moved back?

# 204 A:

It was either somewhere between '90 and '92. I can't remember exactly.

# 205 Q:

He lived at home for a period of time?

# 206 A:

About a year, again.

# 207 Q:

And while he was living at home, again, he was working in various jobs as a -- as a waiter?

# 208 A:

Right, correct.

# 209 Q:

What was your relationship like?

# 210 A:

Always -- it was always good. Ron -- Ron never let his relationships in any way suffer because of anything. Our relationship was always good. His relationship with everybody in the family was good.

# 211 Q:

And did he attend family outings and family functions?

# 212 A:

Always, always.

The last -- The last big function that Ron attended was -- was Lauren's Bat Mitzvah in 1993, November.

# 213 MR. PETROCELLI:

Can you put the photo up.

# 214 (Photograph of Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman, and Kim Goldman, wearing a black dress, displayed on Elmo screen.)

# 215 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) That's what you're referring to?

# 216 A:

Yeah. That was taken just before --

# 217 Q:

It's November 13, 1993?

# 218 A:

Yes.

# 219 Q:

It's about seven, eight months before Ron's death?

# 220 A:

Right.

# 221 Q:

During this period of time, did Ron begin to mature and set some goals for himself?

# 222 A:

Yeah. Actually, it began -- it began not that long before we got here, Ron went through a transformation. He came here as a skinny kid, and Ron started to eat healthy, more healthy than ever before; started to work out; never -- stopped completely any drinking of beer or anything; never smoked -- stopped completely. His big push was to get as healthy as possible, and he did.

It was amazing to see pictures of him over a couple of years.

He made just enormous changes. And likewise, along with the issue of in and out of the various jobs.

Ron made a decision among all of these various waiter jobs, that that was going to be his career. And we found out lots later how much.

# 223 Q:

Sometime in 1993, did Ron approach you about being a partner of his in business?

# 224 A:

Yeah. Ron came to me about oh, six or nine months before he was murdered, and said he had an idea about a restaurant that he wanted to -- to do, and wanted to know if -- if I would invest in it.

I told him that the answer was yes. But did he have anything more -- more information. And he said, I'll let you know when I have more. I just want -- I just want to know if you will.

KEY QUOTE

# 225 Q:

What did you say?

# 226 A:

I said yes.

# 227 Q:

And did you hear anything more from Ron about his plan of opening up this restaurant?

# 228 A:

No, I didn't. Not -- No, not from Ron, directly.

# 229 Q:

And after his death, did you find out something about this?

# 230 A:

Yeah.

Temperature

emotional

Key Quotes (4)

Fred Goldman

Ron was -- Ron had a smile on his face from the day he was born, and he was a happy-go-lucky kid that never seemed to have a care in the world.

Opens the character portrait of Ron — establishes baseline of who he was for the jury.

Fred Goldman

go to school; I didn't, but you need to get your life organized. And I made enough mistakes for all of us, so don't any of you make them.

Ron's words to inner-city kids at summer camp — humanizes him through his own voice and shows self-awareness and generosity.

Fred Goldman

Ron came to me about oh, six or nine months before he was murdered, and said he had an idea about a restaurant that he wanted to -- to do, and wanted to know if -- if I would invest in it.

The abrupt shift to 'before he was murdered' after pages of warm reminiscence is the first direct collision of the narrative with Ron's death — a pivot point in the testimony.

Fred Goldman

I said yes.

Fred's answer to Ron's restaurant partnership question — simple, devastating in context. The last major conversation they had about the future.

Evidence (1)

Plaintiffs' Exhibit No. 771

Series of photographs of Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman, and Kim Goldman spanning childhood through 1993

introduced and displayed on Elmo screen throughout testimony

Notable Exchanges (2)

Fred Goldman•Daniel Petrocelli

Fred corrects the year of his marriage to Patty mid-answer, then adds 'She wouldn't let me forget that one' — a brief moment of warmth about his wife in the middle of grief testimony.

light

Fred Goldman•Daniel Petrocelli

Petrocelli establishes the November 1993 Bat Mitzvah photo as 'about seven, eight months before Ron's death' — anchoring the final family photo in the timeline before the murder.

devastating

Light Moments (2)

Fred Goldman

Fred describes blending two families in California: 'what some people, I guess, call the Brady Bunch. But I can assure you, that's not real life, but it was still a lot of fun.'

Fred Goldman

Fred corrects his own wedding year mid-testimony and deflects with 'She wouldn't let me forget that one,' referring to Patty.

Witness Demeanor

No stage directions indicating tears or visible breakdown in this portion, but testimony is consistently soft and measured — a father choosing his words carefully.

Fred occasionally loses his train of thought mid-sentence (dates, timelines) and self-corrects — consistent with someone emotionally present in the memories being recounted.

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 8542 • 230 utterances • Plaintiff witness

Civil Trial

Department 103