Golf legend Jack Nicklaus has won a $50 million judgment against former business partners for defamation

A six-person jury in Palm Beach County found Monday that Nicklaus’ companies damaged the major champion’s reputation 18 times and subjected him to ridicule, hatred, distrust, mistrust or contempt. Nicklaus Companies owner and CEO Howard Milstein and CEO Andrew O’Brien were also individually named as defendants, but jurors did not find them personally liable.

Nicklaus’ attorney, Eugene Stearns, said Nicklaus spent his life helping others and earned a reputation not only as a great athlete, but as a great human being.

“He deserved better than he got, and we are pleased that the jury addressed the special circumstances that were so disturbing,” Stearns said.

According to the lawsuit, Nicklaus, 85, claimed that Milstein, O’Brien and others at the company spread false stories that Nicklaus considered a $750 million deal to join the LIV golf league backed by Saudi Arabia, and that he was suffering from dementia and was no longer mentally fit to manage his affairs.

Defense attorneys said during the trial that executives of Nicklaus’ companies never tried to discredit Nicklaus and argued that the case was primarily a business dispute. They said no damage was done to Nicklaus’ reputation, and there was no reason for the company bearing the golfer’s name to attack him.

Lawyers for Nicklaus Companies did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Tuesday evening.

Earlier this year, a New York judge dismissed Nicklaus Enterprises’ lawsuit against Nicklaus that attempted to block the golfer from using his name, image and likeness to promote his golf course design company.

Nicklaus joined Nicklaus Companies in 2007 as part of a $145 million deal, but Nicklaus eventually resigned and planned to continue designing golf courses on his own. While Nicklaus is once again free to design golf courses in his name, Nicklaus Enterprises retains the rights to sell apparel and equipment bearing the “Jack Nicklaus” logos.