A DEFIANT O.J. Simpson has insisted that this case is "far from over" as he confronts a damages award of $33.5 million and a court finding that he is liable for the slaying of his former wife, Nicole Brown, and Ron Goldman.
He said yesterday that he did not want to discuss his situation because "I don't want to join in this circus atmosphere that's out there at the moment".
In a telephone interview from his Los Angeles suburb home, he told an Associated Press reporter: "It would be premature for me to say anything now. Obviously I have feelings. But this is far from over.
He added: "Definitely in the future, I'll have something to say.
Mr Simpson was at the bar of Knollwood golf course not far from the courtroom as the jury announced the damages. He was eating a chili dog and according to the bartender he showed little reaction as the news was carried on a TV set a few feet away.
"He was having lunch, joking around with his buddies. He didn't even want to watch TV. He just kind of wanted to avoid it."
The verdict finding Mr Simpson liable for the deaths and the size of the damages will not become official for at least 10 days while Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki hears arguments from the Simpson defence team.
Mr Simpson's lawyers are expected to ask that the verdict of responsibility be overturned but that if it stands, the damages be reduced.
The judge has power to do this but he is not expected to reverse the jury finding on responsibility. It is possible he could reduce the damages, especially the $8.5 million in compensation to the Goldman family, to which is added the $12.5 million in punitive damages.
The estate of Nicole Browne - her two children, Sydney (11) and Justin (8)- received just punitive damages of $12.5 million. This money would be placed in trust for the children but Mr Simpson as custodian could have access to some of it to pay for their upkeep.
It is also possible that Mr Simpson will formally appeal to a higher court against the verdict. Some lawyers say that Judge Fujisaki made several significant errors in the civil hearing, such as allowing testimony on Mr Simpson's lie detector test and excluding testimony from the former detective, Mr Mark Fuhrman, who investigated the murders and who has admitted racial bias.
To stop the two families collecting some damages while a Simpson appeal was proceeding, he would have to post a bond of about $50 million with collateral. This could be impossible for him in the present circumstances.
There is dispute between lawyers for both sides over the Simpson estate. His lawyers say that he is in debt for $856 million over the present value of his assets.
The plaintiffs' lawyers claim he is worth a net $15.7 million when his future earnings potential is taken into account.
Even if Mr Simpson files for bankruptcy he could still be liable for the punitive damages because the jury found that he acted maliciously. The Brown and Goldman families are entitled to take up to 25 per cent of his future earnings.
The uncertain future of O.J. Simpson and his children continues to transfix the US public. The full significance of his being found liable in a civil court for the savage murders for which he was acquitted in the criminal trial is still sinking in.
Take the case of his two children, his daughter Sydney and his son Justin. After the finding by the civil trial that their father was responsible for killing their mother, social services workers and police rushed to their luxury home following an anonymous call that Sydney was afraid her father would hurt her.
Ms Marjorie Fuller, the lawyer appointed by a court to represent the children, said that the call was baseless.
But it raises the question about how the children can come to terms with a situation which is causing endless arguments across the country, namely, how can O.J. Simpson be apparently guilty and not guilty, depending on which jury heard the evidence.
Should the children be left in the custody of a father branded as a murderer by one court and who now faces financial ruin?
Ms Fuller said that the latest jury finding should not affect Mr Simpson's right to keep custody of his children.
"Whatever it is that Mr Simpson may or may not have done, he has an excellent relationship with his children. He is a good father to them, he has always treated his children well and cared for them well," and "the children love him", she said.
The Brown parents had temporary custody of the children while Simpson was charged with killing Nicole and Ron Goldman but he won custody last December.
The judge at the hearing said that the outcome of the civil trial was irrelevant.