O.J. Simpson‘s estate seems one step closer to paying Fred Goldman money he’s owed for winning his wrongful death lawsuit years ago … because the estate’s accepted a multimillion-dollar settlement.

Malcolm LaVergne — the Simpson estate executor — filed court documents earlier this week in which he accepts Fred’s creditor claim in the “amount of $57,997,858.12 (U.S.), plus judgment interest on the approved amount.”

Goldman originally asked for north of $117 million … but, LaVergne argues that — despite what he sees as a good faith effort on Goldman’s part to determine an accurate amount — the interest hasn’t been calculated correctly.

Malcolm also says he’s going to ask the court to award Goldman a fee for administrative costs for advising him on how to run the estate … so, it sounds like the two sides are working more closely together than initially realized.

LaVergne says he’s declined a majority of creditor claims … accepting just Goldman’s and the IRS claim. He says he’s prioritizing paying off Uncle Sam before anyone else — including the State of California. He says the state will have to sue for the “approximately $636,945” he says they filed a claim for.

Remember … O.J. was acquitted on the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman — Fred’s son — in 1995 in a highly controversial trial. However, the Goldmans took Simpson to civil court the following year where he was found liable for Ron’s death. They were awarded more than $33 million, but O.J. only paid a very small fraction of the judgment.