Jack Nicklaus‘ legal battles continue. After an already public and drawn-out legal process against Howard Milstein and the Nicklaus Companies in 2022, the golfer has launched a defamation case stemming from the original claims they made. One of those was the narrative that he would help LIV Golf find its footing in the golf world. That didn’t sit right with Nicklaus because it was the PGA Tour that was a part of his legacy.

Another defamatory statement allegedly made by them was that Nicklaus suffered from dementia and ‘needed to have his car keys taken away’. It took just 48 hours for these statements to spread, and as per ‘Golfweek’, as many as 70 outlets published those claims. Hence, the 85-year-old launched a defamation case.

The trial started on September 29. It is expected to last three weeks.

On the receiving end of this suit are Howard Milstein (a New York banker who bought into Nicklaus’ empire in 2007 ), Andrew O’Brien (president of Nicklaus Cos), and Nicklaus Cos. Nicklaus accused them of planting and amplifying false narratives, sidelining him, and solidifying their control over a brand built on his name.

Addressing the issue, Nicklaus’s attorneys, Eugene Stearns, said: “What Howard Milstein did, and what the company did, was take one of the most revered iconic figures in this world and try to destroy his reputation.

“Because Howard Milstein was embarrassed that he quit, didn’t want him as a competitor and decided to basically slander him on the way out the door,” Stearns added, referring to the time that Nicklaus announced his retirement from the company.

However, back in February, O’Brien’s lawyers denied those claims before Circuit Judge Reid Scott.

“The company did not issue any press release announcing it, and the company did not reach out to anybody in the news media to write an article about it,” Gary Malone said. “If the company were actually interested in negative publicity, it would have been very easy to just send out a press release.”

“There’s no evidence that Mr. O’Brien or anybody else at the company ever said that Mr. Nicklaus had dementia,” the attorney had mentioned. “That was simply made up.”

Attempts were made to have the case dismissed, but it was unsuccessful. Jurors will now decide whether Milstein, O’Brien, and Nicklaus Cos. defamed Nicklaus or defended their business interests from him.

Now, although the entire feud has been ongoing, this defamation case’s roots go back to 2022. As stories and rumors about Nicklaus spread online, his former business associates from Milstein’s camp allegedly celebrated the chaos. “This is remarkable,” wrote O’Brien in an internal message.

For Nicklaus, these allegations are only the latest twist in a partnership gone sour. Tracing back to 2007, the golfer inarguably dug his own grave when he agreed to merge his Golden Bear International into a newly formed company called Nicklaus Cos.

Milstein was the messiah who entered the scene ready to finance the $145 million deal through his Emigrant Bank, New York’s oldest bank. Who knew this was a move Jack Nicklaus would come to regret all his life?

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When the dynamics changed between Jack Nicklaus and Howard Milstein

The partnership quickly became lopsided. Initially, the golfer held a 51% share, and Milstein had 49% through his Emigrant Bank. However, problems started when he initially received the payment he was expecting, but post that, he never got any additional participation in profits from 2007 to 2012. He received payments from 2013 to 2022. On the other hand, Milstein and Emigrant Bank received payments from 2007 to 2022.

But there was more to it. After the deal was signed in 2007, the Great Recession hit. The company’s finances ran low, and Nicklaus wanted out.

Things also took a turn when Milstein named Andrew O’Brien as president. Publicly, the duo called themselves Nicklaus’s partners, even crediting Milstein for saving and doubling the company’s value. The dynamics of the business changed, as the legendary golfer with 18 major wins to his name found his role being reduced to what he once called a “disrespected employee.”

With several blows to his reputation, Nicklaus finally left the company in 2017. Milstein and co. did not like that, and they triggered a five-year noncompete clause that barred Nicklaus from designing golf courses or endorsing the products outside the company. What was worse was that they held all the rights to Nicklaus’s name, image, and likeness.

That five-year noncompete was later challenged. In Florida arbitration, Nicklaus prevailed: the arbitrator held that the restrictive covenant period expired on June 1, 2022, freeing him to work independently, endorse products, and solicit clients.

As Nicklaus eventually sought the legal clarity to retain his name in 2022, Nicklaus Companies, the same year, sued the golfer in New York, alleging that he breached his agreements and pursued a leadership role with LIV Golf—a claim that was later dropped.

As per reports, Nicklaus had indeed met with representatives from Golf Saudi. But that was mainly for discussing potential golf course designs, rather than him assuming any leadership role. Initially, there were also reports where Nicklaus admitted that he was offered $100 million for a “job probably similar to the one Greg [Norman] is doing.” But he rejected the offer twice without hesitation.

Still, the ripple effect of the accusation was major. Nicklaus’ lawyers claimed it caused the golfer global reputational damage. Meanwhile, Milstein’s team denied all these allegations, arguing the lawsuit was “one of the deadest times in terms of trying to get publicity.”

As the trial unfolds, several long-buried truths are set to come to light. Fans will have to wait and watch what happens in this case.