LIV Golf star Patrick Reed has been ordered to pay attorney fees and costs to media outlets after his $750m lawsuit was dismissed twice.
Reed, 33, must pay attorney fees and costs to Golf Channel analysts Brandel Chamblee and Damon Hack, Fox Sports reporter Shane Ryan, Golfweek.com and its columinist Eamon Lynch, Associated Press writer Doug Ferguson and Gannett (the Times-Union’s parent organisation).
The editor of The Tributary, Andrew Pantanzi, broke the news of the decision first.
The 2018 Masters champion claimed that the aforementioned defendants had behaved “in concert as joint tortfeasors” and had committed “conspiracy, defamation, injurious falsehood, and tortious interference.”
Reed took aim at being criticsed for a number of golf rules issues, in particular the one from Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in 2019, as well as his decision to jump ship from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf League in 2022.
US Middle District Court Judge Timothy Corrigan dismissed Reed’s lawsuit for a second time on September 27, 2023.
Corrigan also denied motions by Reed for Corrigan to recuse himself and to reconsider his earlier dismissal with prejudice.
In Corrigan’s ruling, he wrote:
“Reed seeks solely to relitigate past arguments, old matters, and case law previously considered by the Court. He argues the Court ignored case law he cited and misstated the law. This is incorrect. The Court carefully reviewed and heard the briefs and arguments presented before issuing the dispositive Order.”
The legal teams for each defendant have been instructed by Corrigan to submit a motion for costs and attorney fees.
Reed will now have until February 23, 2024, to reply.
In his most recent decision, Corrigan reaffirmed that the defendants’ publications about Reed as a public figure “exercised the constitutional right of free speech.”
