ATL -- Auburn Heisman Trophy-winning running back Bo Jackson won a $21 million lawsuit action against his niece and nephew for extortion.
Thomas Lee Anderson and his sister, Erica M. Anderson Ross, were permanently barred from contacting Jackson and his immediate family after last Friday's judgment. Reports say the Andersons must keep 500 yards from the Jacksons and erase any social media post concerning them.
Jackson's relatives harassed and intimidated him to extort $20 million, according to the April complaint.
"Unfortunately for those attempting to extort $20 million dollars from Jackson and his family, Bo still hits back hard," Jackson's attorneys, Robert Ingram and David Conley, stated Monday in a press release.
Jackson, 61, told WSB-TV that the harassment began in 2022 and included threatening social media posts and texts, false public accusations, and public revelation of private information to cause him serious mental anguish. The complaint claimed that Thomas Anderson wrote on Facebook that he would expose Jackson's images, messages, and medical data to "show America" he wasn't joking.
According to Jackson, the Andersons wanted the money to stop their behavior with the help of an Atlanta attorney. They allegedly threatened to attend a restaurant near his house and interrupt a charity event he hosted in Auburn in April to harass and intimidate him.
The complaint claims Jackson feared for his and his family's safety. It requested a stalking protection order and monetary damages for deliberate emotional distress and privacy invasion against the Andersons. Jackson claimed civil conspiracy against the siblings.
The court determined that Jackson's attorneys' cease-and-desist letter did not stop the intimidation and harassment.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that Cobb County Superior Court Judge Jason D. Marbutt ordered that neither the Andersons nor their counsel refute Jackson's accusations or engaged in the case after consenting to a temporary protection order in May 2023. The court ruled the Andersons in default, admitting all of Jackson's charges, the newspaper said.
"Reasonable people would find defendants' behavior extreme and outrageous," Marbutt said. "The court saw evidence that an attorney representing defendants claimed his clients' conduct would cease for the sum of $20 million."
Jackson was the 1989 All-Star Game MVP and played eight seasons with the Royals, White Sox, and Angels. Jackson played baseball and running back with the Raiders from 1987 to 1990, earning one Pro Bowl.
AP contributed to this article.