Nicklaus’s $50 Million Defamation Verdict Against His Former Company

A Palm Beach County jury returned a $50 million compensatory verdict for Jack Nicklaus against Nicklaus Companies LLC on October 20, 2025. The Associated Press reported that the jury found the company liable for defamation but did not hold Howard Milstein or Andrew O'Brien personally liable.

The underlying business dispute

Nicklaus had brought the complaint on April 21, 2023. In the filed complaint, he alleged that statements about his supposed interest in taking a leadership role with LIV Golf, and the company's role in preventing it, were false and damaged his reputation.

Those were allegations advanced in Nicklaus's lawsuit. The jury's later verdict established the reported outcome against the company; the complaint itself sets out the plaintiff's account of the dispute.

The November 2025 court filing

Nicklaus Companies subsequently filed for Chapter 11 on November 21, 2025. In a declaration filed on November 23, chief executive Philip Cotton recorded the October 20 verdict and the $50 million compensatory award.

The declaration also stated that a final judgment had not yet been entered as of the November 21 petition date. It said the company disagreed with the verdict and was exploring appeal options. These statements describe the company's position and the procedural status recorded in the November 23 declaration, rather than establishing that an appeal had been filed or that Nicklaus had received payment.

The distinction between a jury verdict, entry of judgment and payment matters when describing the award. The dated court filing gives the subsequent context for the headline amount without treating all three stages as the same event.