Glenn
05-09-2007, 03:42 PM
O.J.'s Steakhouse Beef
by Josh Grossberg
Did O.J. Simpson get his just desserts?
The owner of a posh Louisville, Kentucky, steakhouse refused to serve the former football great last week, saying he was bothered by Simpson's behavior following his acquittal more than a decade ago of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, restaurateur Jeff Ruby asked the Juice and his 12-member entourage to leave Jeff Ruby's Louisville at approximately 10:30 p.m. last Friday just after the party sat down at a table in a private room.
Ruby, who runs several upscale restaurants in a number of midwestern cities, told the newspaper he was sickened by Simpson's appearance, especially in the wake of the ex-NFL star's scotched book deal and television interviews promoting If I Did It, his hypothetical tell-all about the murders.
"He continues to torture the lives of the families whose lives he ruined. This was the only thing I could do for the victims' families," Ruby said, noting Simpson's refusal to pay a $33.5 million judgment to the Goldman and Brown families after he was found liable by a jury in a 1996 wrongful-death suit.
However, a rep for Simpson, who was in town to take in the Kentucky Derby, claims Ruby's actions were motivated by racism, not morals.
Simpson's Florida-based attorney, Yale Galanter, told the Courier-Journal that Simpson was unfairly discriminated against by being ejected from the restaurant. The lawyer says he's considering to ask authorities to revoke steakhouse's liquor license and might even file a lawsuit.
"He screwed with the wrong guy, he really did," Galanter said.
Ruby, who said he had previously seated Simpson on numerous occasions at his eateries before the infamous Bronco chase in 1994 and even had a celebrity photo of Simpson on the wall, was tipped off to Simpson's presence by an employee.
The owner said he then found Simpson and told him, "I am not serving you," to which he received no reply. Ruby said Simpson approached a few minutes later and agreed to leave. As the group exited, Ruby claimed that about 50 other diners in the room "stood up and applauded."
"It was the first time since 1994 he has ever shown any class,” Ruby said. "He showed it that night in the restaurant [by leaving quietly]."
Shortly after Simpson's party hit the road, Ruby said another famous sports star arrived: Michael Jordan.
Simpson, meanwhile, is facing yet another legal barrage from the Goldman and Brown families seeking to recoup any payments he received from If I Did It. Simpson insists he spent all the money on bills.
However, a Los Angeles judge ruled that the families are entitled to any income Simpson may earn from the book and TV deal. The judge also ordered that the book rights be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the Goldman family.
That auction remains on hold after one of the companies involved in the deal filed for bankruptcy last month.
http://www.eonline.com/print/index.jsp?uuid=2f2332ae-eefc-49fd-88bb-61adbcb6b1bb&contentType=newsStory
by Josh Grossberg
Did O.J. Simpson get his just desserts?
The owner of a posh Louisville, Kentucky, steakhouse refused to serve the former football great last week, saying he was bothered by Simpson's behavior following his acquittal more than a decade ago of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, restaurateur Jeff Ruby asked the Juice and his 12-member entourage to leave Jeff Ruby's Louisville at approximately 10:30 p.m. last Friday just after the party sat down at a table in a private room.
Ruby, who runs several upscale restaurants in a number of midwestern cities, told the newspaper he was sickened by Simpson's appearance, especially in the wake of the ex-NFL star's scotched book deal and television interviews promoting If I Did It, his hypothetical tell-all about the murders.
"He continues to torture the lives of the families whose lives he ruined. This was the only thing I could do for the victims' families," Ruby said, noting Simpson's refusal to pay a $33.5 million judgment to the Goldman and Brown families after he was found liable by a jury in a 1996 wrongful-death suit.
However, a rep for Simpson, who was in town to take in the Kentucky Derby, claims Ruby's actions were motivated by racism, not morals.
Simpson's Florida-based attorney, Yale Galanter, told the Courier-Journal that Simpson was unfairly discriminated against by being ejected from the restaurant. The lawyer says he's considering to ask authorities to revoke steakhouse's liquor license and might even file a lawsuit.
"He screwed with the wrong guy, he really did," Galanter said.
Ruby, who said he had previously seated Simpson on numerous occasions at his eateries before the infamous Bronco chase in 1994 and even had a celebrity photo of Simpson on the wall, was tipped off to Simpson's presence by an employee.
The owner said he then found Simpson and told him, "I am not serving you," to which he received no reply. Ruby said Simpson approached a few minutes later and agreed to leave. As the group exited, Ruby claimed that about 50 other diners in the room "stood up and applauded."
"It was the first time since 1994 he has ever shown any class,” Ruby said. "He showed it that night in the restaurant [by leaving quietly]."
Shortly after Simpson's party hit the road, Ruby said another famous sports star arrived: Michael Jordan.
Simpson, meanwhile, is facing yet another legal barrage from the Goldman and Brown families seeking to recoup any payments he received from If I Did It. Simpson insists he spent all the money on bills.
However, a Los Angeles judge ruled that the families are entitled to any income Simpson may earn from the book and TV deal. The judge also ordered that the book rights be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the Goldman family.
That auction remains on hold after one of the companies involved in the deal filed for bankruptcy last month.
http://www.eonline.com/print/index.jsp?uuid=2f2332ae-eefc-49fd-88bb-61adbcb6b1bb&contentType=newsStory