Kaelin Begins Deposition in Simpson’s Civil Case

Brian “Kato” Kaelin, America’s most famous guest house tenant, took up temporary lodging in a West Los Angeles law office Wednesday and underwent a grueling round of questioning by lawyers pressing wrongful death lawsuits against O.J. Simpson.

Kaelin’s daylong interrogation was the first of several he is expected to undergo as part of a pretrial deposition in lawsuits filed against the former football star by the families and estates of murder victims Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman. Kaelin was questioned Wednesday by Daniel M. Petrocelli, lead attorney for Goldman’s father, Fred.

Petrocelli and his colleagues plan to question Kaelin not only about Simpson’s movements on the night of the murders, but also about Simpson’s relationship with his ex-wife during the months preceding the killing.

Kaelin is in a position to give a firsthand account of how the couple acted, because he lived with both at various times during that period. As the only person who saw Simpson immediately before and after the time the murders are believed to have occurred, Kaelin is key to Simpson’s alibi.

Fred Goldman left the deposition at midday, saying he had a business appointment. Simpson, who also attended the deposition of his former girlfriend, Paula Barbieri, remained throughout the day. He arrived at Petrocelli’s West Los Angeles office via an underground parking garage and departed the same way, avoiding contact with the press.

The mop-haired Kaelin drew a small crowd of reporters when he arrived Wednesday morning, clad in jeans and a striped shirt. With the deposition behind closed doors, reporters had little to occupy their time until another familiar face from Simpson’s criminal trial appeared.

Michael Knox, who was dismissed from the murder trial jury and later wrote a book about his experience, showed up as a courier to deliver a package to the building where the deposition was conducted.

As he left the building, Knox quipped that, if needed, he is prepared to serve as a juror again.

Meanwhile, at a court hearing in Santa Monica, Simpson’s lawyers agreed to give to the plaintiffs by Feb. 21 documents disclosing his net worth.