Jack Nicklaus wins $50M defamation lawsuit as truth over LIV Golf saga emerges
Jack Nicklaus has been awarded $50M in a defamation lawsuit, with a jury finding that his former business partners had spread false information that damaged his reputation
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus has emerged victorious in a $50 million defamation lawsuit after a Florida jury ruled that his former business partners spread false information, tarnishing his reputation. The 18-time major champion accused his namesake company, Nicklaus Companies, of falsely claiming he had secretly negotiated a $750 million deal to become the face of the LIV Golf League.
Nicklaus, 85, stepped down from an executive role at the company in 2017, a move that came ten years after merging his previous company, Golden Bear International, with the group owned by billionaire banker Howard Milstein.
The golfing great filed the lawsuit in response to statements made by officials from Nicklaus Companies in a prior lawsuit in New York. In the defamation case, Nicklaus alleged that the defendants insinuated he was considering accepting a $750m offer from the Saudi-backed breakaway league and then spread those false claims to the media. It comes after Tommy Fleetwood was proven right over his own LIV decision.
As reported by the Palm Beach Post, the jury found that Nicklaus Cos. played an active role in spreading false facts that subjected the 85 year old to "ridicule, hatred, mistrust or contempt."
During the trial, which spanned over two weeks, it was revealed that officials from Nicklaus Companies had suggested that the golf icon lacked the mental capacity to manage his business affairs and was suffering from dementia.
The jury ruled against Nicklaus Companies on both charges; nevertheless, it exonerated Milstein, who currently controls the company, and executive Andrew O'Brien from personal responsibility.
Court filings from the six-time Masters winner's legal team revealed that Nicklaus discovered Golf Saudi's desire for him to assume a leadership position in the breakaway circuit during a 2021 encounter, which had been arranged with their delegates to discuss designing a golf course in Saudi Arabia. His lawyers claim that a Nicklaus Cos. representative requested he meet with Golf Saudi officials.
The legal documents indicate that, "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, and if the PGA was not in favour of a new league, he did not want to be involved."
Nicklaus' lawyer Eugene Stearns also informed jurors during his final statements: "These are the people who planted a story.
"The story is a lie... what they wanted to create in the minds of the public is that Jack Nicklaus is an old guy who sold out to the Saudis."
Stearns additionally challenged assertions that Nicklaus Cos. officials persuaded the three-time Open champion to back out of an agreement to join LIV Golf.
"The fact is no one intervened to save Jack Nicklaus from himself," Stearns declared. "The fact is, he did not need saving. It's a lie."
Speaking to ESPN, he clarified: "I think what was important was the dispute that arose 31⁄2 years ago when the company told the world that Jack was selling out the PGA Tour for the Saudi golf, when it was not true. So, we're happy that Jack's been vindicated."
Nicklaus had previously discussed the situation in a 2022 interview with the Fire Pit Collective website, revealing: "I was offered something in excess of $100million by the Saudis to do the job, probably similar to the one that Greg [Norman, then LIV Golf chief executive] is doing.
"I turned it down. Once verbally, once in writing. I said, 'Guys, I have to stay with the PGA Tour. I helped start the PGA Tour.'".