February 11th 2024.
Bo Jackson, the iconic athlete who holds the impressive distinction of being named to both the NFL and MLB all-star teams, recently emerged victorious in a legal battle against his own family. A civil suit filed in April 2023 resulted in a $21 million win for Jackson, as he successfully proved that his niece and nephew had attempted to extort him for a large sum of money.
As reported by ESPN, the judge's ruling on Feb. 2 included a permanent protective order that prohibits Jackson's niece and nephew, Thomas Lee Anderson and Erica M. Anderson Ross, from contacting him or any of his immediate family members. They are also required to stay at least 500 yards away from the former Heisman Trophy winner and must remove any social media posts related to him.
According to Jackson, the harassment from his family members began in 2022 and included threatening messages, false public accusations, and the public disclosure of private information with the intention of causing him emotional distress. In the lawsuit, Jackson claimed that his nephew, Thomas Anderson, even posted on Facebook that he would release personal photos, texts, and medical records as a way to "show America" that he was serious, further adding to the distress.
Jackson also alleged that his niece and nephew had enlisted the help of a lawyer from Atlanta who demanded $20 million in exchange for stopping their campaign against him. The pair even went as far as threatening to show up at a restaurant near Jackson's home and disrupt a charity event he was hosting in April, all in an attempt to harass and intimidate him.
The lawsuit sought damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, civil conspiracy, and a protective order due to the stalking behavior Jackson claims to have experienced. The court ultimately found no legitimate reason for the siblings' actions and deemed their blatant disregard for the cease and desist letter from Jackson's lawyers as unacceptable.
Judge Jason D. Marbut of the Cobb County Superior Court stated in his court order that the siblings and their lawyers were unable to successfully challenge Jackson's claims or participate in the case after a May 2023 hearing, where they agreed to abide by a temporary protective order. As a result, the judge ruled that Jackson's niece and nephew were in default, meaning that they accepted all of his claims as true, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In his decision, Marbut wrote, "Reasonable people would find the defendants' behavior extreme and outrageous." He also pointed out that the evidence presented showed that the siblings' lawyer had claimed the harassment would stop if Jackson paid them $20 million.
Jackson's legal team, Robert Ingram and David Conley, released a statement on Feb. 5 celebrating the decision, stating, "Unfortunately for those attempting to extort $20 million from Jackson and his family, Bo still hits back hard." It is clear that Jackson will not back down from anyone who attempts to harm him or his loved ones, even if they happen to be family members.
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