Skilled golf legend Jack Nicklaus has gained a $50 million verdict in a defamation lawsuit filed in Florida in opposition to his former enterprise companions.
A six-person jury in Palm Seashore County discovered Monday that the Nicklaus Corporations had broken the 18-time main champion’s status and uncovered him to ridicule, hatred, distrust, mistrust or contempt. Nicklaus Corporations proprietor and govt chairman Howard Milstein and govt Andrew O’Brien have been additionally named individually as defendants, however jurors didn’t discover them personally liable.
Eugene Stearns, an legal professional for Nicklaus, mentioned Nicklaus has spent his life serving to others and incomes a status as not only a nice athlete however a fantastic human being.
“He deserved better than what he got, and we’re pleased that the jury addressed the particular circumstances that were so annoying,” Stearns mentioned.
In accordance with the lawsuit, Nicklaus, 85, claimed Milstein, O’Brien and others on the firm unfold false tales that Nicklaus thought of a $750 million deal to affix the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf League and that he was affected by dementia and now not mentally match to handle his affairs.
Protection attorneys mentioned at trial that Nicklaus Corporations executives by no means tried to defame Nicklaus and argued the case was principally a enterprise dispute. They mentioned no hurt was finished to Nicklaus’ status, and there was no purpose for a corporation that shared the golfer’s identify to assault him.
Earlier this yr, a New York decide dismissed a lawsuit filed by Nicklaus Corporations in opposition to Nicklaus that tried to forestall the golfer from utilizing his identify, picture and likeness to advertise his golf course design enterprise.
Nicklaus joined Nicklaus Corporations in 2007 as a part of a $145 million deal, however Nicklaus ultimately stop and deliberate to proceed designing golf programs on his personal. Whereas Nicklaus is as soon as once more free to design golf programs beneath his personal identify, Nicklaus Corporations retains the rights to promote clothes and tools with “Jack Nicklaus” logos.
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