Jack Nicklaus, the legendary 18-time major champion, has achieved a significant legal victory with a $50 million verdict in a defamation lawsuit against his former company. This decision marks the conclusion of a contentious and lengthy business dispute within the world of golf.
The jury in Palm Beach County, Florida, unanimously found that Nicklaus Companies, the firm he founded and later sold, had defamed him by perpetuating false claims. These allegations included assertions that he had considered a lucrative $750 million offer to represent the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and that he was no longer mentally fit to manage his affairs. The jury determined that such actions had severely damaged the 85-year-old golf icon’s reputation, leaving him vulnerable to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt.”
After just four and a half hours of deliberation, the verdict was delivered. An emotional Nicklaus embraced his family and friends in the courtroom, expressing gratitude for the jury’s diligence and dedication to the case, as noted by his attorney, Eugene Stearns. “We tremendously appreciate the time that the jury put into this case,” Stearns remarked. “Jack’s reputation has now been restored.”
The origins of this conflict stretch back nearly two decades. In 2007, Nicklaus sold the rights to his name, image, and golf course design business to Nicklaus Companies for $145 million, a deal backed by billionaire banker Howard Milstein. After stepping away from an executive role in 2017, Nicklaus was restricted by a five-year noncompete clause, which ended in 2022. Following the expiration, the firm sued him in New York, claiming he had diverted business opportunities and engaged in undisclosed discussions with LIV Golf.
In response, Nicklaus filed a counter-defamation lawsuit, accusing Milstein and other executives of spreading false narratives that he had abandoned the PGA Tour for Saudi financial gain. Court documents reveal that a company official had initiated discussions for Nicklaus to meet with representatives from Golf Saudi in 2021. During this meeting, he was invited to assume a leadership role with LIV Golf, a proposition he declined out of respect for the PGA Tour.
The lawsuit also highlighted the company’s efforts to circulate damaging rumors regarding Nicklaus’s mental health, insinuating that he was suffering from dementia. “What they said was, ‘You need to have the keys taken away,’” Stearns explained. “It was unfortunate, but Jack’s reputation has now been restored.”
Defense attorneys for Nicklaus Companies contended that the matter was merely a business dispute and maintained that Nicklaus’s standing in the golf community was unblemished. “His reputation is as stellar as it’s always been,” defense attorney Barry Postman told jurors. Nevertheless, the jury favored Nicklaus, although Milstein and executive Andrew O’Brien were exonerated from personal liability.
Notably, this verdict follows an earlier court ruling confirming that Nicklaus is allowed to utilize his name and likeness for future golf projects, despite the company retaining the rights to market branded apparel and equipment. This legal resolution not only underscores Nicklaus’s enduring legacy but also ensures his freedom to engage in future endeavors authentically.