Jack Nicklaus was awarded a $50 million judgment Monday by a Florida jury in a defamation lawsuit brought against the Nicklaus Companies.
Nicklaus and his lawyers successfully argued that Nicklaus Companies falsely claimed that it met with LIV Golf in 2021 to discuss a $750 million deal that would see Nicklaus Companies be the face of Saudi Arabia’s startup competitors on the PGA Tour, and leaked that story to the media.
“It’s always difficult to prove reputational damage in a defamation suit, especially for a guy like Jack, because it’s always a very good thing,” Nicklaus’ attorney Eugene Stearns told ESPN on Monday. “But I think what was important was the controversy that arose three and a half years ago when the company told the world that Jack had given up the PGA Tour for golf in Saudi Arabia, which was not the case. So I’m glad that Jack was exonerated.”
Nicklaus claimed to have met with Saudi Golf about designing a new golf course, but that when approached about involvement with LIV during that meeting, Nicklaus declined. According to the Palm Beach Post, a jury found in Nicklaus’ favor, finding that the Nicklaus Companies damaged Nicklaus’ reputation by falsely disclosing facts about his involvement and making him an object of “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, mistrust, and contempt.”
This is not the first lawsuit between Nicklaus and the Nicklaus Companies. The golfing legend left the company in 2017 after selling the rights to his golf course, club brand and Golden Bear clothing line, and permanently resigned from the board in 2022. Nicklaus had a five-year non-compete clause after he left the company, and Nicklaus Companies filed a complaint alleging that Nicklaus was believed to have diverted business from the company for personal gain.
A Florida arbitrator ruled in 2024 that Nicklaus would no longer be bound by a competitive ban and could design golf courses, and a judge ruled in April that Nicklaus could use his name, image and likeness.
