WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Florida jury on Monday awarded Jack Nicklaus $50 million in the golf legend’s defamation lawsuit against his former company.
The Palm Beach County jury found that the Nicklaus Companies “actively participated” in the false publishing of facts that damaged Nicklaus’ reputation. Those false facts exposed Nicklaus to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt,” the jury decided.
Nicklaus, 85, and his attorneys successfully argued that Nicklaus Companies -- owned by billionaire banker Howard Milstein -- had falsely claimed in 2021 that he had met with LIV Golf to discuss a $750 million deal to become the face of the Saudi Arabian-financed competitor to the PGA Tour. The golfer known as the Golden Bear argued that the company had leaked that story to media outlets.
“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,” Nicklaus’ attorney, Eugene Stearns, told ESPN. “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.”
A Florida jury delivered a $50 million verdict to Jack Nicklaus in his defamation suit against Nicklaus Companies, the enterprise now controlled by billionaire banker Howard Milstein.
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) October 21, 2025
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The six-person panel also cleared Milstein and Nicklaus Companies executive Andrew O’Brien, both of whom were named individually in the lawsuit, of personal liability.
The award comes months after a Manhattan trial judge dismissed Nicklaus Companies’ legal effort to restrict Nicklaus from using his own name to promote his golf course design ventures and other business activities.
Nicklaus, along with Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, comprised the PGA Tour’s “Big Three” during the 1960s. His 18 majors include six Masters titles, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Open crowns and three British Open victories. Before turning pro, Nicklaus won the U.S. Amateur in 1959 and 1961, and was the NCAA individual champion in 1961 while playing for Ohio State University.
Nicklaus won 73 times on the PGA Tour and had 118 victories overall. The golf Hall of Famer finished second or tied for the runner-up spot 53 times, according to his website. His 118 wins include 35 international events and 10 titles on the Champions Tour.
He was the leading money winner on the Tour eight times and had the lowest scoring average eight times.
The legal battle between Nicklaus and his former company began in 2007, when Nicklaus Companies paid the six-time Masters champion $145 million for exclusive rights to his golf course design services and all marketing, promotional and branding rights.
Nicklaus resigned from the company in 2017, activating a five-year noncompete provision that barred him from independently designing golf courses. He resigned from the company’s board in May 2022.
In July 2024, a Florida arbitrator ruled that Nicklaus was no longer bound by the noncompete clause, allowing him to design golf courses independently.
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