The ongoing saga with Patrick Reed and multiple golf journalists continued on Friday, as the 2018 Masters champion filed an Amended Complaint against Brandel Chamblee, the Golf Channel, Eamon Lynch, Golfweek, Gannett and many others alleging that they "disseminated 'fake news' and have defamed and tortiously interfered with him (Reed)."
Larry Klayman, who is the counsel for Reed, stated upon filing the Amended Complaint that: “Contrary to the false reporting of the Defendant Gannett (parent company for the USA Today Network), which lied that the lawsuit had been dismissed in its entirety, Chief Judge Timothy Corrigan’s prior order simply required Mr. Reed to rework his initial complaint, mostly over form, and then to file this Amended Complaint.
"Not learning its lesson, Defendant Gannett sought to defame Mr. Reed again by mispresenting Judge Corrigan’s order. This was widely republished by other golf media reporters in bed with the PGA Tour." Gannett are yet to respond to the claims made by Klayman.
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Reed, who signed with the Saudi-backed league in June 2022, has already had a $750 million complaint dismissed by a Federal Judge. That came back in mid-November, with Timothy J. Corrigan, the Federal Judge, explaining that the complaint made “failed to give Defendants notice of the grounds upon which each claim rests because Reed alleges 120 factual allegations, then proceeds to incorporate all 120 allegations into each and every count.
"Reed attempts to allege various defamation and civil conspiracy violations against each Defendant; causes of action which require vastly different factual allegations.” Following the statement, Corrigan did allow the 32-year-old to file an Amended Complaint by the 16th December, with the Federal Judge stating: “In drafting the Amended Complaint, Reed is instructed to re-evaluate his alleged claims and bring only those claims that are meritorious and supported by law.”
Now, in the Amended Complaint, Reed's counsel, Klayman, has claimed that “Mr. Reed is a player on the rival LIV Golf League, and many in the golf media have been enlisted by the PGA Tour to harm not just Mr. Reed but also his fellow players at LIV by repeatedly defaming and disparaging them."
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He goes on to add: "It was recently disclosed that the PGA Tour had allegedly hired Clout Public Affairs LLC to smear LIV and its players in the media and fund, organize and incite 9/11 families to wage staged protests at LIV events and elsewhere." The PGA Tour are also yet to respond to these claims.
The letter ends with Klayman explaining that: “The Amended Complaint alleges defamation and tortious interference and seeks over $820,000,000 USD in damages for the severe harm that has been done to Mr. Reed financially and in terms of loss of good will and reputation. This Amended Complaint is embedded below.
“This Amended Complaint speaks for itself and sets forth an anticompetitive scheme by the PGA Tour, its commissioner Jay Monahan and their agents to defame and destroy LIV and its players, fearing competition which challenges the PGA Tour’s monopoly.”
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