Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time major champion, has won a $50m verdict in a defamation case against his former company, bringing an end to one of golfâ€s most bitter business feuds.
A jury in Palm Beach County, Florida, found that Nicklaus Companies – the firm he founded and later sold – defamed him by spreading false claims that he had considered a $750m offer to become a public face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and that he was no longer mentally fit to manage his business affairs. The six-person jury ruled that the companyâ€s actions damaged the 85-year-oldâ€s reputation and exposed him to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contemptâ€.
The verdict came after four and a half hours of deliberation. Nicklaus quietly embraced family and friends in the courtroom after the decision. “We tremendously appreciate the time that the jury put into this case,†said his attorney, Eugene Stearns. “They were extraordinarily conscientious and dedicated, and weâ€re happy that Jackâ€s been vindicated.â€
The dispute dates back nearly two decades. In 2007, Nicklaus sold the rights to his name, image and golf course design business to Nicklaus Companies for $145m in a deal financed by billionaire banker Howard Milstein. After stepping down from an executive role in 2017, Nicklaus was bound by a five-year noncompete clause that prevented him from taking on new design projects. When that restriction expired in 2022, the company sued him in New York, alleging that he had diverted business opportunities and secretly entertained talks with LIV Golf.
Nicklaus responded with a defamation suit of his own, accusing Milstein and other executives of planting false stories that he had “sold out†the PGA Tour – an organization he considered central to his legacy – for Saudi money. According to court documents, a Nicklaus Companies official had arranged for him to meet with Golf Saudi representatives in 2021 to discuss course design work. During that meeting, Nicklaus said, he was asked to take a leadership role with LIV Golf but immediately declined because of the PGA Tourâ€s opposition to the breakaway league.
The lawsuit also accused the company of circulating rumors that Nicklaus was suffering from dementia and could no longer handle his affairs. “What they said was, ‘You need to have the keys taken away,â€â€ Stearns told ESPN. “It was unfortunate, but Jackâ€s reputation has now been restored.â€
Lawyers for Nicklaus Companies argued that the case was simply a business dispute and that Nicklausâ€s stature in the game remained untarnished. “His reputation is as stellar as itâ€s always been,†defense attorney Barry Postman told jurors. But the jury sided with Nicklaus, though Milstein and company executive Andrew Oâ€Brien were cleared of personal liability.
The verdict follows a separate court ruling earlier this year in which a New York judge affirmed that Nicklaus is free to use his own name and likeness in future golf ventures, even as the company retains the rights to sell branded apparel and equipment.
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