Daniel Petrocelli served as lead plaintiff's attorney representing Fred Goldman in the civil trial against O.J. Simpson, joining the case just ten days before his first court appearance in October 1995, where he immediately moved to preserve critical evidence from the criminal trial. Over the course of the civil proceedings, Petrocelli personally deposed Simpson and dozens of key witnesses — including Allen Cowlings, Kato Kaelin, Robert Kardashian, and Marcus Allen — building the evidentiary foundation he would later deploy at trial. His cross-examinations of Simpson became the pivotal moments of the civil case, systematically exposing contradictions in Simpson's alibi, confronting him with Bruno Magli shoe photographs that directly contradicted his sworn testimony, and presenting a failed polygraph test scoring −22 for deception. Petrocelli's closing argument methodically challenged the defense through a "what kind of man" rhetorical framework, weaving together DNA evidence, domestic violence history, and consciousness of guilt into the case that ultimately held Simpson liable.