Patrick Reed during the opening round of The 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. | Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Patrick Reed filed lawsuits against numerous members of the media for $750 million, but a federal judge has dismissed those cases.
Since joining LIV Golf in 2022, Patrick Reed has filed lawsuits against numerous entities critical of his decision, including the PGA Tour.
Reed and his team filed cases against members of the media, too, namely Brandel Chamblee and Eamon Lynch, who have been critical of LIV Golf and its players.
But these lawsuits, which total $750 million, have been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan.
“While Reed may be frustrated at the negative media coverage he receives (some of which seems over the top), under Florida law and the First Amendment, Reed fails to bring actionable defamation claims, and his cases, therefore, must be dismissed,” Corrigan said.
“Many of the statements are not about Reed. Some statements are about LIV Golf, of which Reed is a member, but not specifically about Reed. Others are matters of opinion or permissible rhetorical hyperbole. Still others are statements of fact, the truth of which are not challenged. And Reed does not meet the required pleading of actual malice to hold the press liable for defamation.”
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Patrick Reed reacts to a putt at the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Reed also sued writer Shane Ryan, who authored The Cup They Couldn’t Lose: America, the Ryder Cup, and the Long Road to Whistling Straits. He also filed suits against Associated Press writer Doug Ferguson, Fox Sports, and the New York Post.
The 2018 Masters champion alleged he suffered personal attacks that disparaged his reputation, but Corrigan felt otherwise, referencing the First Amendment.
The bar for defamation civil cases in the United States is extremely high. The ‘actual malice’ judge Corrigan referenced points to the fact that the plaintiff, Reed in this case, must prove the defendants knowingly and intentionally defamed him.
Hence why so many civil suits are brought to court overseas, as ‘actual malice’ is not required to be proven.
The 78-page case was coincidentally released in the days leading up to the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Reed, of course, received the nickname ‘Captain America’ during the 2016 Ryder Cup, where he defeated Rory McIlroy 1-Up in Sunday singles to help the U.S. win for the first time in eight years.
Over his three Ryder Cup appearances, Reed won eight points for Team USA, while boasting a 7-3-2 record.
Yet, ‘Captain America’ will not don the red, white, and blue this year, nor will he win in court.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
