"Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time major champion, has won a $50m verdict in a defamation case against his former company, bringing an end to one of golf's most bitter business feuds. A jury in Palm Beach County, Florida, found that Nicklaus Companies the firm he founded and later sold defamed him by spreading false claims that he had considered a $750m offer to become a public face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and that he was no longer mentally fit to manage his business affairs."
"The six-person jury ruled that the company's actions damaged the 85-year-old's reputation and exposed him to ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt. The verdict came after four and a half hours of deliberation. Nicklaus quietly embraced family and friends in the courtroom after the decision. We tremendously appreciate the time that the jury put into this case, said his attorney, Eugene Stearns. They were extraordinarily conscientious and dedicated, and we're happy that Jack's been vindicated."
"In 2007, Nicklaus sold the rights to his name, image and golf course design business to Nicklaus Companies for $145m in a deal financed by billionaire banker Howard Milstein. After stepping down from an executive role in 2017, Nicklaus was bound by a five-year noncompete clause that prevented him from taking on new design projects. When that restriction expired in 2022, the company sued him in New York, alleging that he had diverted business opportunities and secretly entertained talks with LIV Golf."
A Palm Beach County jury awarded Jack Nicklaus $50 million after finding that Nicklaus Companies spread false claims that he considered a $750 million offer to front the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and that he was mentally unfit to manage his affairs. The six-person jury determined the company's actions damaged the 85-year-old's reputation and exposed him to ridicule and contempt. The conflict traces to a 2007 sale of his name and design business, a subsequent noncompete, a New York lawsuit alleging diverted opportunities, and counterclaims accusing executives of planting false stories about his dealings with LIV Golf.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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