Jack Nicklaus has earned £37million from his defamation lawsuit after a Florida jury ruled that former business associates spread false information, tarnishing his reputation. The 18-time major champion alleged that the company bearing his name, Nicklaus Companies, falsely claimed he had covertly negotiated a whopping £560million deal to become the face of the LIV Golf League.
Nicklaus, 85, stepped down from an executive role at the company in 2017, 10 years after merging his previous firm, Golden Bear International, with the group owned by billionaire banker Howard Milstein. The PGA Tour icon launched the lawsuit in response to statements made by officials from Nicklaus Companies during a prior lawsuit in New York.
In the defamation case, Nicklaus argued that the defendants insinuated he had contemplated accepting a £560m offer from the Saudi-backed breakaway league and spread these false allegations to the media. As reported by the Palm Beach Post, the jury concluded that Nicklaus Cos. had actively engaged in falsely disseminating facts, subjecting the 85-year-old to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust or contempt.”
During the trial, which spanned over two weeks, the golfing titan stated that officials from Nicklaus Companies had implied he no longer possessed the mental capacity to handle his business affairs and was suffering from dementia. The court ruled against Nicklaus Companies on both counts, but absolved Milstein, the business’s current owner, and executive Andrew O’Brien of personal liability.
According to court documents, the six-time Masters champion’s attorneys stated that Nicklaus was informed about Golf Saudi’s desire for him to take a leadership role in the new league during a 2021 meeting to discuss the design of a golf course in Saudi Arabia. His attorneys state that a Nicklaus Cos. official asked him to meet with Golf Saudi representatives.
The court documents reveal 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.”
During his closing arguments, Nicklaus’ lawyer Eugene Stearns told the jury: “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 also refuted allegations that executives from Nicklaus Cos. persuaded the three-time Open winner to back out of a deal to join LIV Golf. “The fact is no one intervened to save Jack Nicklaus from himself,” Stearns said. “The fact is, he did not need saving. It’s a lie.”
He clarified to ESPN: “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.”
In a previous interview with the Fire Pit Collective website in 2022, Nicklaus revealed: “I was offered something in excess of $100million (£75m) 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.'”
