Golf icon Jack Nicklaus has been awarded $50million in his defamation lawsuit against Nicklaus Companies.
The 85-year-old alleged that Nicklaus Companies, owned by billionaire American banker Howard Milstein, said he was suffering from dementia and and wasn’t mentally capable of managing his business affairs.
It was also claimed that Nicklaus Companies accused Nicklaus of holding talks with Saudi-backed LIV Golf over a $750million deal to be the face of the breakaway golf league.
A jury in Florida unanimously sided with Nicklaus, considered by many to be the greatest player in golf history, on Monday and decided his reputation had been damaged after being the victim of ‘ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust and contempt’.
Nicklaus Companies said it gave the 18-time major champion $145m in 2007 for exclusive rights to his course design skills, as well as the ability to use him for marketing, promotional and branding rights.
He has the right to use his own name, image and likeness, while Nicklaus Companies owns the trademarks it purchased and sells clothing and equipment in Nicklaus’ name, including his iconic ‘Golden Bear’ moniker and logos.
Jack Nicklaus has been awarded $50m in his defamation lawsuit against Nicklaus Companies
The 85-year-old alleged Nicklaus Companies, owned by billionaire Howard Milstein (above), said he was suffering from dementia and and wasn’t capable of managing his business affairs
It was also claimed that Nicklaus Companies accused Nicklaus of holding talks with LIV Golf
He then resigned from the company in 2017, and stepped down from the company’s board in 2022, which activated a five-year noncompete that ensured he could not design courses.
But when the noncompete expired in 2022, Nicklaus Companies tried to sue Nicklaus for breach of contract and made a series of statements about the golf icon’s talks with the Saudis and his mental wellbeing.
‘What was important in the dispute was when the company told the world Jack was selling out the PGA Tour for Saudi golf, when it was not true,’ Nicklaus’s attorney, Eugene Stearns, told ESPN.
Specifically referring to the alleged claims about Nicklaus’ mental state, Stearns added: ‘What they said was, “you need to have the keys taken away”. We are happy that Jack has been vindicated.’
Nicklaus’ lawyers told the court that his client had never entertained a deal with the Saudis and an offer to represent LIV Golf came when he met with Golf Saudi in 2021 following a request to design a golf course there.
‘According to Nicklaus, he had no interest in the offer and declined because he felt the PGA Tour was an important part of his legacy’ the court documents said.
‘And if the PGA Tour was not in favor of a new league, he did not want to be involved.’
The jury in Florida also cleared Milstein and Nicklaus Companies executive Andrew O’Brien of personal liability.
