LIV golfer Patrick Reed sues Brandel Chamblee, Golf Channel for $750M, alleges conspiracy to defame him
Patrick Reed, one of LIV Golf’s recent and most prominent defectors on the PGA Tour, is suing Golf Channel and network commentator Brandel Chamblee for $750 million, alleging that Chamblee used comments about Saudi Arabia-backed him series defamed. Reed’s attorneys filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Houston.
Reed alleges that he and other LIV golfers have been “slandered” by The Golf Channel, PGA Tour and Chamblee as part of a conspiracy to tarnish their image and hamper their professional advancement.
In the lawsuit, Reed alleges he “lost several multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals due to the ongoing damage Brandel Chamblee and NBC’s Golf Channel have caused and continue to cause.”
From the file:
These calculated, malicious, false and/or reckless attacks have had a direct impact on the livelihood of Mr. Reed and his family, and he has suffered major damage through the loss of not just one, but several multi-million dollar sponsorship deals as a result of the enduring damage that Brandel Chamblee and NBC’s Golf Channel have inflicted and continue to inflict on Mr. Reed with defamatory publications that are false and/or made in reckless disregard for the truth. …
The defendants, acting in concert with the PGA Tour, have consented and in fact attempted to eliminate Mr. Reed, LIV and other golfers who have signed with LIV as competitors by maliciously slandering them and smearing their reputations
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The filing also targets Chamblee’s reputation as a former golfer, stating that Chamblee’s resume as a player is nothing like Reed’s, which in turn has prompted Chamblee to launch a smear campaign against him and other LIV players.
(Chamblee) was far from ever reaching the accomplished level of Mr. Reed and the current analyst for Golf Channel has become the Golf Channel’s primary mouthpiece and agent in furthering this defamatory agenda and severely harming Mr. Reed, LIV to inflict damage. and other golfers who have signed with LIV.
The filing also includes references to LeBron James, Skip Bayless and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The PGA Tour has come under fire from LIV golfers since the Tour suspended them indefinitely for their participation in the series. A federal judge recently refused to grant LIV players a restraining order to allow them to compete in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs.
One of Reed’s attorneys is Larry Klayman, who lost several high-profile defamation cases and filed a eviction petition against then-President Barack Obama.
Reed looks for a massive payday:
For general (non-economic), special (economic), actual and compensatory damages in excess of $750,000,000.00, to be determined by the jury, and injunctive relief.
Reed, a one-time Major winner (Masters, 2018), tied for 47th at the Open Championship in July.