Jack Nicklaus Prevails in $50M Defamation Battle With Nicklaus Companies Amid LIV Golf Allegations

For nearly two decades, Jack Nicklaus’s name has been intertwined with the company he helped build, only to later fight in court to defend his reputation. That battle reached its conclusion this week after four and a half hours of deliberation. A Florida jury awarded the 18-time major champion $50 million in his defamation lawsuit against Nicklaus Companies, the firm now owned by billionaire Howard Milstein. 

Nicklaus’ attorney, Eugene Stearns, told ESPN on Monday: “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 3½ 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

“What they said was, ‘You need to have the keys taken away,’ but the combination of all of that was unfortunate, and we’re happy that this is all soon going to be behind Jack.”

The victory comes after Nicklaus, 85, alleged that officials at Nicklaus Companies falsely claimed he had considered a $750 million deal to become the face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League. And that he had “sold out” the PGA Tour, something that he himself had founded. And that because of having dementia, he was no longer fit enough to handle his affairs, thus damaging his reputation in media reports. 

In cross-examination last week, the defense attorney Barry Postman had tried to flatter Nicklaus, calling him “the greatest golfer of all time,” only to try and quash the case. “His reputation is as stellar as it’s always been,” Postman told the jurors. Yet the jury sides with Nicklaus, while clearing Milstein and company executive Andrew O’Brien of personal liability. 

Now, with the jury’s $50 million award, Nicklaus has secured both financial compensation and a formal acknowledgment of the damage done to his reputation. But even with the verdict behind him, the feud between Nicklaus and Milstein itself has deeper origins, entwined with decades of business decisions, investments, and power struggles— all ranging back to 2007 when the partnership started. 

Jack Nicklaus’s complicated legal battle

In 2007, Nicklaus Companies paid Nicklaus $145 million for exclusive rights to his golf course design services and his marketing, branding, and promotional rights. By 2017, Nicklaus resigned, triggering a five-year noncompete clause preventing him from designing golf courses independently. He stepped down from the company board in May 2022. Shortly after, Nicklaus Companies sued him and his company, GBI Investors, alleging tortious interference, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty— claims Nicklaus consistently denied.

The defamatory allegations centered on a 2021 meeting arranged by Nicklaus Companies, where Golf Saudi representatives informed Nicklaus they wanted him to accept a leadership role in LIV Golf. Court documents state that he declined, citing loyalty to the PGA Tour and the desire to protect his legacy. The company also allegedly suggested Nicklaus was mentally unfit. 

Prior legal rulings had already clarified some of Nicklaus’s rights. A Florida arbitrator in July 2024 lifted the noncompete restrictions, allowing him to design courses freely. In April, a New York Civil Division Supreme Court ruling confirmed that Nicklaus retained the right to use his own name, image, and likeness, while Nicklaus Companies kept ownership of its trademarks and could continue selling products under the Nicklaus brand and the “Golden Bear” moniker.

But even before that,  Nicklaus had already returned to course design, working with trusted colleagues and family, determined to protect the integrity of his legacy. As he said back in 2023, “I don’t care if I can’t call the course the Golden Bear. It’s fine with me if they call it the Olden Bear.”