Judge freezes O.J. Simpson’s assets

? A federal judge Wednesday temporarily froze movement of O.J. Simpson’s assets until he decides the fate of a bid by murder victim Ron Goldman’s family to get the money the ex-football star was paid for his failed “If I Did It” book and TV deal.

The Goldmans sued Simpson last month, alleging his pact with News Corp.’s ReganBooks and Fox network was a fraud.

They contend he unlawfully funneled his estimated $1 million paycheck to a dummy corporation to duck paying them and other creditors, including American Express.

Simpson owes a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment to the heirs of Goldman and his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, because a civil jury found him responsible for their slashing deaths in 1994. He was acquitted of criminal murder charges.

Planned publication of Simpson’s book, in which he “hypothetically” described how he might have carried out the murders, and broadcast of his pre-taped chats with publisher Judith Regan were nixed in November after public outrage led by the Goldman and Brown families. News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch fired Regan a few weeks later.