THE "Trial of the Century - Part 2" opens today in Santa Monica, California, when O.J. Simpson faces a civil lawsuit in which relatives of his dead wife claim that he did kill her although he was acquitted in the celebrated criminal trial.
This time Mr Simpson does not face life imprisonment if found guilty, but the payment of up to $100 million in compensation. He is being sued by the estate of his dead wife, Nicole Brown, and the father and mother of Ron Goldman, who was stabbed to death with her. The plaintiffs claim that Mr Simpson caused their "wrongful deaths".
The hearing, which could last up to six months, will go over all the grisly evidence from the criminal trial, such as the blood stained gloves and socks. But this time there will no TV cameras, no tape recorders, no interviews with the lawyers and witnesses and a subdued media.
Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki is determined that the media circus - which turned the trial under Judge Lance Ito into a TV drama with lawyers and witnesses playing to the camera - will be tamed. He will not even allow artists to do courtroom sketches.
But there will be 40 journalists present to relay the proceedings and there will be drama if only because this time Mr Simpson will have to testify and be cross examined. At his criminal trial he exercised his right not to take the witness stand.
The plaintiffs have already made lengthy written depositions and evidence can be submitted which was not allowed the last time. Thus if the judge agrees, the jury can be told about Nicole Brown's fears that her husband would kill her, his alleged violence towards her and jealousy old her male friends after their separation.
New witnesses will be heard. These are expected to include Mr Al Cowlings, who drove Mr Simpson in the widely filmed police chase around Los Angeles on the day of his arrest.
Another crucial witness could be a freelance photographer whose photographs show Mr Simpson wearing the Bruno Magli shoes which were worn by the killer. Mr Simpson has denied ever wearing such shoes.
The defence is expected to argue that the plaintiffs are driven by money. Dominique Brown, sister of Nicole, is accused by defence lawyers of selling pictures of a topless Nicole to tabloids.
Another problem for Mr Simpson this time is that the burden of proof will be less than in the criminal trial. Instead of the jury having to determine guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt", it will be enough if there is a "preponderance of evidence". If nine of the 12 jurors agree it is "more probable than not" that Mr Simpson caused their deaths, he would be liable for damages.
Members of the new, mainly white jury may want to correct what they saw as a miscarriage of justice in the first trial. The Santa Monica suburb is mainly white, unlike urban Los Angeles where the criminal trial took place.
Yesterday, Mr Simpson was involved in another court hearing to gain custody of his two children.