Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus has won a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his former company, and has now revealed the reason he brought the legal action
21:48 ET, 28 Oct 2025Updated 21:48 ET, 28 Oct 2025
Jack Nicklaus won a $50 million lawsuit against his former company last week(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jack Nicklaus has finally spoken out after winning a $50 million defamation lawsuit, stating he did it to safeguard his legacy and protect his loved ones beyond his lifetime.
The 85-year-old golf legend sued his former business, Nicklaus Companies, over statements made in a previous lawsuit. The company is owned by billionaire banker Howard Milstein, and Nicklaus, an 18-time major champion, alleged that Milstein and other employees of Nicklaus Companies had unjustly tarnished his reputation.
Nicklaus claimed that the company falsely stated he had considered becoming the face of LIV Golf in a $750 million deal, and that individuals associated with Nicklaus Companies spread this false claim to the media. Nicklaus has been an outspoken critic of LIV Golf.
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Court documents also disclosed that “The Golden Bear” accused Nicklaus Companies of insinuating that he was suffering from dementia and was unfit to manage the business.
On Oct. 21, a Florida court ruled in favor of Nicklaus, with a jury determining that his reputation had been damaged, leading to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt.”
However, the court did absolve Milstein and Nicklaus Brands president Andrew O’Brien of personal liability.
(Image: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nicklaus and the business bearing his name have had a contentious relationship since he resigned from the company in 2017, a decade after he was paid $145 million for exclusive rights to his golf course design services, as well as his name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights.
Following his departure, Nicklaus was required to honor a five-year noncompete agreement before he could legally return to designing golf courses independently. He stepped down from the Nicklaus Companies board in 2022, which sparked a string of legal disputes until a Florida court determined last year that Nicklaus could resume course design work.
The two sides also clashed over name, image and likeness rights in a New York courtroom in April, where a judge determined that Nicklaus could monetize his own identity while Nicklaus Companies kept the rights to use the trademarks it had obtained and market clothing bearing Nicklaus’ name.
The defamation case, according to Nicklaus, was about safeguarding his family’s interests. “I did this thing more for my family than for me,” Nicklaus told The Palm Beach Post.
“My legacy that I will have through the years will be very important to my family.
“I’m 85 years old, how long will I be around? I don’t know. It’s not about me. It’s about the future and family. But basically, big load off my shoulders.
“My NIL (name, image, license) is very important to me, it’s very important to my family. Sometimes you got to stand up for it and go through what you have to go through.
“Life changes for all of us as we go along. I’ve been very blessed. Allowed me to win a few golf tournaments, make a name for myself. Protect that. It’s very important.”
Eugene Stearns, Nicklaus’ lawyer for the defamation lawsuit, informed ESPN last week: “It’s always hard in a defamation case to prove damages to reputation, because in particular for a guy like Jack, it’s always such a good one.
“But I think what was important was the dispute that arose three and a half 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.”
