Bo Jackson, the famous athlete known for his success in two sports, has been awarded a substantial amount of money in a legal case against his niece and nephew. Jackson filed a complaint last April, accusing his relatives, Thomas Lee Anderson and Erica M. Andrews, of engaging in relentless harassment and intimidation towards him. The lawsuit claimed that Anderson and Andrews attempted to extort $20 million from Jackson by threatening to publicly disclose damaging information about him. These actions caused Jackson severe emotional distress, according to court records.
The Andersons continued their campaign of harassment by contacting Jackson’s immediate family through social media and making threats to publicly disclose allegations against him. They even went as far as threatening to appear near Jackson’s residence to intimidate him. As a result of this cumulative harassment and intimidation, Jackson experienced significant emotional distress.
Jackson was successful in his case as the Andersons failed to appear in court to contest a temporary protective order that had been issued against them. The judge ruled in Jackson’s favor, stating that the defendants had acted with malice and a conscious effort to cause harm. Consequently, Jackson was awarded over $1 million in compensatory damages and attorney fees, along with an additional $20 million in punitive damages. Furthermore, a permanent protective order was granted, prohibiting the Andersons from contacting Jackson or his family, coming within 500 yards of their homes, schools, or workplaces, and posting about Jackson on social media.
This is not the first time that Jackson has had to defend his reputation. In 2005, he sued a newspaper after they falsely claimed that his hip injury in the NFL was a result of steroid use. The newspaper eventually retracted the story and issued a public apology to Jackson.
According to the Source deadspin.com