Former Las Vegas Raiders star, and Auburn football legend, Bo Jackson has been awarded $21 million in a lawsuit against his niece and nephew who tried to extort the former NFL and MLB star.
During the peak of his celebrity, Bo Jackson was known for the iconic commercial slogan, “Bo knows.” In the famous series of ads, the two-sport star would showcase fictional talents in many other sports and vocations. Well, it seems this past week proved that Bo also knows the law.
Late last week, a civil case between Jackson and his niece and nephew — Erica M. Anderson Ross and Thomas Lee Anderson — concluded and a verdict was handed down that awarded the former Kansas City Royals star $21 million in damages. Furthermore, in the ruling, the Anderson siblings must also stay at least 500 yards from Jackson and take down any social media content about the sports star and his immediate family.
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Relatives tried to extort former Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Royals star of $20 million
The suit filed this past April claimed that the Andersons tried to use harassment and intimidation tactics to extort the 61-year-old out of $20 million. The incidents of harassment and intimidation date back to 2022.
Jackson claimed that his niece and nephew contacted him and his immediate family on social media platforms and in direct messages over the last two years and threatened to disclose allegations against their uncle that would damage his reputation. The suit also claimed they had planned to publicize private details meant to cause him “severe emotional distress.”
The siblings also threatened to appear at locations near Jackson’s home to specifically intimidate and harass him, as well as appear at a charity event he was hosting. The court found that there was no reasonable purpose for the actions, and despite a cease and desist letter from the sports star’s attorneys, the intimidation tactics by the Andersons did not cease.
“The court saw evidence that an attorney representing defendants claimed his clients’ conduct would cease for the sum of $20 million,” Superior Court Judge Jason D. Marbutt said in his ruling.
“Unfortunately for those attempting to extort $20 million from Jackson and his family, Bo still hits back hard,” Jackson’s attorneys said Monday in a news release following the verdict.
Jackson rose to fame as a two-sport star for the Auburn Tigers. He would eventually become an elite talent for the Raiders and Royals before a knee injury limited him to being just a baseball player with diminished athleticism.
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