Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time major champion, has won a $50m verdict in a defamation case against his former company, Nicklaus Companies, over false allegations that he considered joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and was mentally unfit to manage his affairs. The verdict was delivered by a six-person jury in Palm Beach County, Florida, after four and a half hours of deliberation.
The jury found that Nicklaus Companies defamed the 85-year-old by spreading claims that he had considered a $750m offer to become a public face of LIV Golf and that he was no longer mentally fit to manage his business. The court ruled that these actions damaged his reputation and exposed him to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt”. Nicklaus embraced family and friends in the courtroom after the decision.
The dispute dates back to 2007, when Nicklaus sold the rights to his name, image and golf course design business to Nicklaus Companies for $145m. After a five-year noncompete clause expired in 2022, the company sued him, alleging he diverted business opportunities and entertained talks with LIV Golf. Nicklaus countersued, accusing the company of planting false stories that he had “sold out” the PGA Tour for Saudi money.
Court documents revealed that a Nicklaus Companies official arranged a meeting with Golf Saudi representatives in 2021, where Nicklaus was asked to take a leadership role with LIV Golf but declined due to the PGA Tour’s opposition. The lawsuit also alleged the company circulated rumours that Nicklaus was suffering from dementia. His attorney, Eugene Stearns, said: “Jack’s reputation has now been restored.”
Lawyers for Nicklaus Companies argued the case was a business dispute and that Nicklaus’s reputation remained untarnished. Defence attorney Barry Postman told jurors: “His reputation is as stellar as it’s always been.” However, the jury sided with Nicklaus, though company executives Howard Milstein and Andrew O’Brien were cleared of personal liability. The verdict follows a separate ruling affirming Nicklaus’s right to use his own name in future golf ventures.
