Golf legend Jack Nicklaus enters $145,000,000 legal dispute battle

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus has entered into a legal dispute to regain his own name from a former business partner.

Nicklaus is considered to be one of the greatest golfers, with 73 PGA Tour wins to his name. Needless to say, his name comes with quite a lot of reputation and Nicklaus is now fighting for it.

Nicklaus, 83, is in the middle of an intense legal battle with his former business partner Howard Milstein. 70-year-old Milstein is the Chairman and President of both the New York Private Bank & Trust and its operating bank, Emigrant Bank.

The defendent, Milstein, was selected as Jack Nicklaus' partner in order to ensure the preservation of the legacy of the Nicklaus name and brand. Milstein is currently the chairman of Nicklaus Companies.

Nicklaus is now trying to regain control of his name and its likeness. He stated that he sold non-exclusive rights to the use of property in 1994 worth $145 million. However, Milstein is adamant that the rights sold were exclusive.

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Jack Nicklaus not deterred despite case being rejected once, will continue to fight

A court in Florida said that it could not grant Jack Nicklaus any control of the property since the main issue at hand was exclusivity. A judge sided with Milstein, stating that the New York court had "already issued a preliminary injunction barring Nicklaus from using his name and likeness while it adjudicated the dispute."

However, Jack Nicklaus is not deterred by the rejection and will not back down. Speaking via Sport Bible, Nicklaus' attorney said:

"It doesn't change anything. We will just be back in Florida State court where it started."

A Nicklaus Companies representative said after the ruling:

"We are pleased the court ruled in favor of Nicklaus Companies and dismissed the elements of the case that arise under Federal law, noting that the New York court has already taken jurisdiction over the factual claims in this dispute."

Nicklaus Companies was purchased in 2007 for a valuation of $145 million and has been used to carry out course design, real estate, and branded merchandise.