THE JURY which has found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his estranged wife, Nicole, and her friend Ron Goldman will today consider the amount of punitive damages the former football star must now pay their families.
The jury has already awarded the Goldman family compensatory damages of $8.5 million (£5.6. million) which is an unusually high amount. But under California law there is no limit on the amount of punitive damages which can be awarded, and the Simpson lawyers are bracing themselves for a huge sum which will take into account future earnings as well as his estate.
His lawyers are also said to be considering an appeal against the unanimous finding of the jury that Simpson (49) was responsible for the two murders on the grounds that Judge Fujisaki allowed some evidence which should have been inadmissible.
President Clinton, as he did after the criminal trial which found Simpson not guilty, urged the American public to respect the jury verdict. The announcement of the civil jury verdict came as he was ending his State of the Union message to Congress.
The clash between the two events led to agonising by the TV networks which were committed to covering the President's speech and the Republican response live. Ironically the speech had been moved forward a day to avoid a clash with a beauty pageant.
The networks flashed the news of the jury's findings on the bottom of the screen during the speech, but the President and his audience were unaware of it.
The jurors responded to eight questions about the deaths of Brown and Goldman. In every case they laid the blame at Simpson's feet.
Outside the courtroom in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica there were cheers and boos as Simpson, looking impassive, got into his car. Inside the court he had stared ahead as the jury finding was read out while his lawyer, Mr Bob Baker, put his arm around him.
But Ron Goldman's sister, Kim, screamed "yes" and embraced herb father. The judge threatened to clear the court.
The mainly white crowd of about 2,000 outside the court shouted "guilty, guilty, guilty". Some Simpson supporters played a mournful tune on a flute.
The Los Angeles police had mobilised extra resources in case there were outbreaks of violence in reaction to the verdict, but there were no reported disturbances. There was nothing like the tension and excitement which surrounded the ending of the criminal trial in October 1995.
The Goldman family and their lawyer, Mr Daniel Petrocelli, were almost mobbed as they made statements to the media. An emotional Mr Fred Goldman, Ron's father, said that "after 2 1/2 years we finally have justice for Ron and Nicole". Paying tribute to the lawyer, Mr Goldman said the civil trial had been carried out with "honesty, dignity and complete truth".
Simpson drove away alone he was later seen buying ice cream for his children before he joined them at his luxury home nearby. A court recently awarded Simpson custody of the two children, Sydney (11) and Justin (8), who until then were being cared for by Nicole Brown's parents.
They had strongly opposed handing over the children to Simpson before the finding of the civil trial was known, but the judge in the family court said this was irrelevant to his petition. The Browns are now likely to try to regain custody.
Immediate reaction to the civil verdict was mixed and tended to split along racial lines. A snap poll by ABC television found that 74 per cent of whites and 23 per cent of blacks approved, closely corresponding to the racial divide in the polls after the first trial.
Among blacks there is certainly - a feeling that the racial composition of the jury in the civil trial influenced the verdict. The lone black juror was dismissed after the jury had been considering its verdict for 14 hours. She had been revealed to be the mother of a woman who had worked for the prosecutors in the criminal trial.
But commentators with legal expertise said that more important than the racial make up of the jury this time was the additional evidence available to them. Another important factor was that Simpson was obliged to testify in the civil hearing and be confronted with contradictions in his statement to the police after he was arrested.
The criminal jurors had to be convinced unanimously of his guilt "beyond reasonable doubt" before they could find him guilty of the murders. But the civil case jury was able to reach its verdict on a "preponderance of the evidence" and by a majority of nine. In fact the jurors found against Simpson unanimously on all eight questions.
The focus will now switch to Simpson's assets and his future earning capacity. His lawyers have been claiming that he has "zero assets". Clearly his ability to earn by advertising and endorsing products will be greatly curtailed.
But public relations specialists speculate that Simpson will retain a capacity to earn big money. "He will be the Frankenstein of celebrities, but he will be a celebrity and people will pay to see him," says Mr Howard Rubenstein of a New York public relations firm.
Before the two trials, Simpson's net worth was estimated at $11 million. His first book after the costly criminal trial called I Want to Tell You and a video earned him about $2.5 million. It is likely that he will now write a new book.
He is said to have $2.5 million locked away in pension and retirement funds. He will also be entitled to a $2,000 a month pension from his football and acting career in five years' time.
On the negative side is the loss of earnings he has suffered since the 1994 murders. His $3.5 million Santa Monica home is heavily mortgaged and he has been selling other properties and assets to pay legal bills.
Any other assets will be liable to attachment by court order to pay the $8.5 million awarded yesterday and whatever punitive damages are awarded.
Under California law, the Brown and Goldman families will be able to take up to 25 per cent of Simpson's future earnings until the judgments are fully paid. He will be entitled to retain a modest home and car, a far cry from his present life style. He recently sold his $100,000 Ferrari and is expected to sell his Bentley, leaving him with a Chevrolet Suburban.