[EDITOR'S NOTE: Jeff Toobin, author of the bestseller, "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson," was Court TV's guest Sept. 24, 1996. He talked about covering the criminal trial for the New Yorker, his new book, and his thoughts on the upcoming civil trial.]
CourtTV9: Good evening. Welcome to Court TV's live chat with Jeff Toobin, author of "The Run of His Life," a current best seller on the Simpson trial. The book includes several startling claims about the criminal trial. According to Mr. Toobin, Simpson received advance notice of the verdict from his jailhouse guards; his lawyers Johnnie Cochran and Robert Shapiro thought their client was guilty; and Lance Ito privately disclosed the contents of a crucial court ruling to CNN's Larry King before he announced it to the public. Hello, Jeff.
Jeff Toobin: Hello, it's good to be with everyone.
CourtTV9: We've got a lot of people online tonight and the questions are pouring in. Let's get right to them.
Question: In your book, you talk about the police interview with O.J. after the murders as a great example of sloppy police work. The whole interview is only about 30 minutes. Do you think the case was lost there?
Jeff Toobin: No, it wasn't the end of the case. But it was indicative of the extreme deference paid to O.J. by the cops.
Question: What is the relationship between the Browns and the Goldmans?
Jeff Toobin: It's pretty icy. They are allies. But the Goldmans recognize that the Browns had been in O.J.'s thrall for many years.
Question: What do you think the outcome of the civil trial will be?
Jeff Toobin: I think the plaintiffs will win, largely, alas, because of the whiter jury pool. Race means everything in this case.
CourtTV9: I hear the jury pool at this point is 50/.50 black to white. What does that mean?
Jeff Toobin: A colleague of mine who was in the courtroom today says it's just like the criminal case -- blacks for O.J., whites for plaintiffs. It could mean a hung jury.
Question: Do you think Marcus Allen played a larger role in this entire event than the public was led to believe?
Jeff Toobin: No. He had an affair with Nicole, but O.J.'s anger was directed at her, not him. Typical sexism.
Question: I hear your book is a best seller. What makes it different than all the others that have been written?
Jeff Toobin: I am a journalist, with no ax to grind. It's independent, not self-justifying.
Question: Do you think Faye Resnick is telling the truth when she speaks of O.J. Simpson's behavior in the past?
Jeff Toobin: Yes, by and large. But she greatly hurt the prosecution case by cashing in on her friendship with Nicole and abusing drugs. Ironically, she turned out to be one of the best friends O.J. had.
Question: What do you think of Vince Bugliosi's book, "Outrage"? I think your book is excellent.
Jeff Toobin: Thanks for the praise. Bugliosi made a lot of good points -- but it was marred by his egotism. I tried to show empathy for the lawyers, even when I criticized them. Bugliosi only wanted to show how smart he was.
Question: Do you think O.J. Simpson originally intended to kill himself after the murders?
Jeff Toobin: Absolutely not. He is far too much of a narcissist to ever consider killing himself.
Question: How is Simpson's search for the real killer going?
Jeff Toobin: He actually has had a private detective doing some work. But of course it's futile. He needs only to look in the bathroom mirror for the real killer.
Question: How did you do the research for your book?
Jeff Toobin: I attended the trial and interviewed more than 200 participants, both during and after the trial
Question: In Chris Darden's book, there was some speculation that O.J. was running to a boat headed for the Caribbean. Is this true?
Jeff Toobin: I don't believe it. The events of 6/17/94 were too chaotic for such an elaborate plan.
Question: Didn't Dr. Henry Lee find blood on the air conditioner?
Jeff Toobin: That's news to me.
Question: I would like to know why no one believes that Mark Fuhrman could have planted evidence when, by his own statements, he is the worst kind of racist there is?
Jeff Toobin: He had no opportunity. He was the 17th officer on scene, had no independent access to evidence, no knowledge if O.J. was even in the U.S. at time of murders. Fuhrman sued me for libel (and later dropped case), so I'm no friend of his. But I don't believe he could have or did plant evidence.
Question: Jeff: Don't you worry that folks will find your opinions racist? What would Mal Goode think if he were still alive?
Jeff Toobin: Mal Goode was one of my heroes, a great friend of my mother's, in fact. It is not racism to speak the truth. It is shameful that O.J.'s cause has somehow become a civil rights issue. It demeans a great cause to be associated with him.
Question: Do you believe that, at this time, O.J. is possibly suicidal or very distressed, solely due to the guilt he lives with?
Jeff Toobin: Hard question. I think the chase was mostly O.J.'s attempt to generate sympathy for himself. He didn't have the courage to kill himself (if that is the right word).
Question: It looks like jury selection is splitting along racial lines, does this surprise you?
Jeff Toobin: Not really. Alas, race really is the story of this case. The civil trial is turning out to be no different than the criminal case. What a sad statement.
Question: Do you think Marcia Clark did a good job of prosecuting the criminal trial?
Jeff Toobin: Mixed. She is a skilled trial lawyer -- great opening statement, great direct exams of Lange and Alan Park. But her arrogance is a problem -- rejecting jury consultant's advice, embracing Fuhrman, etc.
Question: Why in the original trial did the prosecutors fail to use the Bronco chase and note?
Jeff Toobin: That evidence is ambiguous and could have generated sympathy for O.J. The theory was that if they didn't believe the DNA evidence, etc., they wouldn't have been persuaded by chase and note. I think the prosecutors were right on this issue.
Question: Are you going to report or write about the civil case? If not, why not , and if so -why?
Jeff Toobin: Not a lot, maybe not at all. I live in NYC, I can't impose long absences on my family any more. Otherwise, I might be willing to do it.
Question: What did you think the outcome of the civil trial will be?
Jeff Toobin: If I had to bet, I would say the plaintiffs will win. But racial polarization seems already to be setting in. That means a possible hung jury.
Question: Who do you think will get custody of the kids?
Jeff Toobin: O.J. doesn't really want custody. He wants to annoy the Browns. The final decision will be shared custody along the limes they have now.
Question: Does the LAPD realize how badly it botched this case?
Jeff Toobin: Not fully. Mostly, they blame the defense lawyers and the jury. Typical LAPD arrogance.
Question: Please share what you know about Shapiro's knowledge of O.J.'s guilt/innocence.
Jeff Toobin: As I say in my book, Shapiro told several friends during the trial that he thought O.J. was guilty.
Question: What about Simpson's comment to Roger Cossack today regarding his "not having anything to give those people", implying that he was broke?
Jeff Toobin: It's Probably true. O.J. has less money than people think. The Rockingham house is mortgaged heavily and he has a big IRS tax lien. The Goldmans will get a symbolic victory at best.
Question: Do you think Ron Shipp had anything to do with "Smoothing" over things with the police dept. in regard to considering O.J. as a prime suspect or could he have possibly been the Person that "set up" O.J?
Jeff Toobin: Shipp helped O.J. out of his 1989 domestic violence case But he had nothing to do with the aftermath of the murders. He seems genuinely conscience stricken to me.
CourtTV9: You kind of paint Fuhrman as a good cop in that respect. True?
Jeff Toobin: Again, a mixed bag. He was very bad in the early 80s, but he seemed to have cleaned up his act in later years. He had many backers (black and white) in LAPD and district attorney's office.
Question: Was Rosie Greer deposed in the civil case?
Jeff Toobin: I doubt it. The priest-penitent privilege applies in civil as well. But while we're on subject, I do don't think there's a chance in the world that O.J. confessed to Rosie. O.J. has confessed to no one, I believe.
Question: Is it true Kardashian said O.J. is guilty?
Jeff Toobin: It's not in my book, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Question: Did O.J. set up Swiss accounts in the event that the civil suit did not go his way?
Jeff Toobin: Not a chance. He does not have the money at this point to justify such a move. He has always spent m his large income. He wasn't a saver.
Question: Does your book deal with the aspects of the blatant misuse of the jury system by the black jury!
Jeff Toobin: I believe that the verdict was very much determined by race, if that's what you mean.
Question: What ever happened with the mysterious envelope?
Jeff Toobin: It contained the knife O.J. bought at Ross Cutlery, shortly before murders. There is a full account of this saga in my book.
Question: Do you believe the viewpoint that most blacks think that O.J. is innocent?
Jeff Toobin: Alas, yes. That is borne out by the survey research data.
CourtTV9: What is your next move? What are you writing about now?
Jeff Toobin: I'll be covering Oklahoma City bombing case in Denver for the New Yorker.
CourtTV9: How is that going?
Jeff Toobin: I have a profile of Mike Tigar, Terry Nichols lawyer, in current issue of the New Yorker. This is a totally fascinating case, with great lawyers on all sides. It should be on TV because it would make people proud of the judicial system.
CourtTV9: How come people don't care about this case the way they care about Simpson?
Jeff Toobin: No sex, no race, no Hollywood, no dog.
CourtTV9: Any closing remarks?
Jeff Toobin: This has been fun. I remain astonished at how passionate people continue to feel about the Simpson case almost a year after the verdict.
CourtTV9: Why is that so?
Jeff Toobin: It's become almost like abortion. Your feelings about this case seem to encapsulate your feelings about a whole set of issues.
CourtTV9: I want to thank Jeff Toobin. His book,. "The Run of His Life ," published by Random House is a best seller.
Jeff Toobin: Thanks for having me. See you around the web.
