After more than two weeks of courtroom arguments and years of behind-the-scenes tension, golf legend Jack Nicklaus gained victory in the defamation case against Nicklaus Companies, the very company that bears his name.
As a result, the 18-time major champion and golf’s most iconic figure was awarded $50 million by a Florida jury on Monday, effectively indemnifying him for the damages caused to his reputation.
The jury found that Nicklaus Companies had actively participated in spreading false and damaging claims, alleging that Nicklaus had secretly negotiated a $750 million deal with LIV Golf to join the Saudi-backed club.
“These are the people who planted a story,” Nicklaus’s attorney Eugene Stearns told jurors during closing arguments as quoted by the Palm Beach Post. “The story is a lie. … What they wanted to create in the minds of the public is Jack Nicklaus is an old guy who sold out to the Saudis.”
The 85-year-old pro filed the defamation suit in 2023. The claims stemmed from a 2022 leak that suggested he had met with Saudi investors to discuss a potential ambassador role with LIV Golf.
Nicklaus later clarified that the meeting was a courtesy, tied to his firm’s golf course design work in the region.
Where did the case stem from for Jack Nicklaus?
The roots of the dispute stretch back to 2007, when billionaire banker Howard Milstein partnered with Nicklaus to form Nicklaus Companies LLC, consolidating the golf legend’s business ventures under one umbrella. Milstein’s Emigrant Bank financed the deal, effectively giving him a controlling interest in the brand built on Nicklaus’s name and image.
Over time, the relationship frayed. By June 2017, Nicklaus formally stepped down from his executive role, triggering a five-year non-compete clause that barred him from designing golf courses or endorsing products outside the company.
Despite stepping back from leadership, Nicklaus continued to provide design services until May 2022, when his professional ties to the company were fully severed.
As the non-compete clause neared expiration, Nicklaus sought arbitration to confirm his right to use his own name, image and likeness in future business ventures. That move prompted Nicklaus Companies to file a lawsuit in New York, accusing him of breaching prior agreements, including the alleged LIV Golf talks.
In the Florida defamation suit, both Milstein and executive Andrew O’Brien were named, but the jury did not find them personally liable. Still, the $50 million award sent a clear message about the cost of reputational harm and the sanctity of personal legacy.
“There is no evidence any business was lost,” argued company attorney Barry Postman during closing arguments. “His reputation is as stellar as it’s always been.”
The jury saw it differently.
With the ruling, Nicklaus now regains full control over his name, image and likeness, and is free to engage in commercial ventures, including golf course design, under his own brand.
The court also affirmed that Nicklaus Companies may continue using its existing trademarks, including the Golden Bear logo, but without exclusive rights to Nicklaus’s personal identity. As of Monday evening, Nicklaus had not issued a public statement.
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