A Georgia court awarded two-sport legend Vincent “Bo” Jackson a $21 million verdict Feb. 2 in a civil case brought by his niece and nephew.
The former baseball and football phenom lodged the case against Thomas Lee Anderson and his sister, Erica M. Anderson Ross, for attempted extortion and stalking, according to The Associated Press (AP). The court’s decision contained a permanent protective order stipulating the siblings must not come closer than 500 yards to Jackson’s family and must remove all social media posts about them, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Former NFL Superstar TJ Houshmandzadeh Files Restraining Order Against Woman Who Adopted His Last Name: REPORT)
Bo Jackson wins extortion case against relatives, awarded $21 millionhttps://t.co/j9rOXj6r1A
— Auburn Tigers | AL.com (@aldotcomTigers) February 8, 2024
Jackson originally filed the suit in April, alleging that the pair attempted to use harassment and intimidation to extort $20 million from him, according to The AP.
“Unfortunately for those attempting to extort $20 million dollars from Jackson and his family, Bo still hits back hard,” Jackson’s attorneys said Monday.
The sixty-one-year-old sports icon alleged that the siblings had made threatening social media posts, publicly lied about him, and disclosed information intended to harm the former Heisman Trophy winner, WSB-TV reported.
The lawsuit states that Jackson sought a stalking protective order and undisclosed compensation regarding emotional stress resulting from the harassment, according to The AP. He also brought a civil conspiracy claim, the outlet reported.
Cobb County Superior Court Judge Jason D. Marbutt’s order detailed how neither the Andersons nor their attorneys refuted Jackson’s claims, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The newspaper added that the judge accepted all of Jackson’s claims.
“Reasonable people would find defendants’ behavior extreme and outrageous,” the Judge wrote. “The court saw evidence that an attorney representing defendants claimed his clients’ conduct would cease for the sum of $20 million.”