Bo Jackson awarded $21 million in Georgia blackmail, stalking case

ATLANTA (AP) — Vincent “Bo” Jackson, the former professional baseball and football player who won the Heisman Trophy at Auburn, has won a $21 million judgment in his civil case for attempted extortion against his niece and nephew.

The February 2 decision included a permanent protective order barring Thomas Lee Anderson and his sister, Erica M. Anderson Ross, from harassing or contacting Jackson and members of his immediate family. News outlets reported that Anderson would have to stay at least 500 yards away from Jackson and remove any content about him from social media.

The lawsuit, filed in April, alleged that Jackson’s relatives tried to extort $20 million from him through harassment and threats.

Jackson’s attorneys — Robert Ingram and David Conley — said in a news release about the case on Monday, “Unfortunately for those attempting to extort $20 million from Jackson and his family, Bo still faces a tough response.” Is.”

Jackson, 61, claimed the harassment began in 2022 and included threatening social media posts and messages, public accusations that misrepresented her, and public disclosure of private information intended to cause her severe emotional distress. , wsb-tv informed of. He said Thomas Anderson wrote on Facebook that he would release Jackson’s photos, texts and medical records to “show America” ​​that he was not playing around, the lawsuit alleges.

Jackson, with the help of an Atlanta attorney, demanded money in exchange for ending his conduct, Jackson said. She said they threatened to come to a restaurant near her home as a means of harassment and intimidation and to disrupt a charity event she organized in Auburn in April.

The lawsuit says Jackson feared for his and his family’s safety. It sought a protective order against Anderson as well as unspecified damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of privacy. Jackson also brought a civil conspiracy claim against the siblings.

The court found that these actions had no legitimate purpose and that even after receiving cease-and-desist letters from Jackson’s lawyers, the threats and harassment continued.

Cobb County Superior Court Judge Jason D. Marbutt said in his order that neither Anderson nor his attorneys refute Jackson’s claims or participate in the case until after a May 2023 hearing, when he granted a temporary protective order, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution agreed. informed of. The newspaper said the judge found the Andersons guilty, finding all of Jackson’s allegations true.

“Reasonable people would find the defendants’ conduct extreme and outrageous,” Marbutt wrote. “The court saw evidence that an attorney representing the defendants claimed that his clients’ conduct would result in a settlement amounting to $20 million.”

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