Patrick Reed's $750m lawsuit has "zero legal merit and will not succeed"
A lawyer who specialises in defamation believes Patrick Reed's explosive lawsuit against Brandel Chamblee and Golf Chanel is destined to fail.
Remarkably, Patrick Reed suing Brandel Chamblee and Golf Channel for $750m is not the biggest legal story in pro golf right now.
We now have a trial date set for Phil Mickelson et al versus the PGA Tour, with the antitrust lawsuit set to begin sometime in January 2024.
As for Reed, one lawyer with a 13-year history of specialising in defamation, believes that LIV Golf player Reed's complaint has "zero legal merit".
His name is Sia Nejad. Check out his thread below:
Patrick Reed lawsuit: I specialized in defamation during the 13 years I practiced and I can tell you, without equivocation, that this lawsuit has zero legal merit and will not succeed. The facts as set out in the Complaint (Paragraphs 29 through 72)…
(1/8)— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
(2/8) do not rise to defamation or defamation per se and are clearly statements of opinion and/or fact (never-mind the hurdle of the heightened legal standard for public figures such as Patrick Reed). As for the accusations of “cheating” which are surprisingly
— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
(3/8) buried among allegations of obvious protected opinion, the Complaint veers toward the Hero World Challenge cheating allegations from 2019. The Complaint [Paragraph 60] states that Reed was only assessed a 2 stroke penalty and not disqualified which absolves him of cheating.
— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
(4/8) It doesn’t take a legal mind to articulate the ridiculousness of such a statement. It’s interesting to note that the Complaint references the threat of a 2013 suit against defendant Chamblee from the ‘Tiger Woods Camp’ on similar defamation grounds. I am very familiar
— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
(5/8) with that matter and, in 2013, authored my legal analysis to one Kyle Porter. His article and my legal statements pertaining to the threat of such a suit, which in many ways can be applied to the Reed lawsuit, can be found here: https://t.co/kGGOWvoKvq.
— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
(6/8) The basic tenets of defamation law have not changed since then (predictably, no suit emerged). Perhaps the most shocking thing, from a legal standpoint, is that the Complaint [Paragraph 67] references the “Skip Bayless school of sports analysis.” This isn’t merely shocking
— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
(7/8) because Skip Bayless is mentioned, it is shocking because that paragraph is the precise reason why such a defamation claim cannot legally survive. Said “school of sports analysis” has thrived, in part, because such speech is protected by defamation law.
— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
(8/8) If I were drafting a Motion to Dismiss the Complaint I would set out my legal defenses and then simply boldface Paragraph 67 as my best evidence that the statements by Chamblee and The Golf Channel (and half of Twitter) have always been legally protected.
— Sia Nejad (@SiaNejad) August 17, 2022
Why is Patrick Reed suing?
Reed's explosive lawsuit alleges that Chamblee and Golf Channel have "conspired as joint tortfeasors for and with the PGA Tour, its executives and its commissioner Jay Monahan, to engage in a pattern and practice of defaming Mr. Reed."
The court docs say that Golf Channel and Chamblee have been:
"Misreporting information with falsity and/or reckless disregard of the truth, that is with actual and constitutional malice, purposely omitting pertinent key material facts to mislead the public, and actively targeting Mr. Reed since he was 23 years old, to destroy his reputation, create hate, and a hostile work environment for him, and with the intention to discredit his name and accomplishments as a young, elite, world-class golfer, and the good and caring person, husband and father of two children, he is.
"It is well-known on tour that Mr. Reed has been abused and endured more than any other golfer from fans or spectators who have been allowed to scream obscenities only to be glorified by NBC’s Golf Channel for doing so, because it gets Defendants Chamblee and Golf Channel “clicks”, viewership, ratings and increased revenue. For Defendants it does not matter how badly they destroy someone’s name and life, so long as they rake in more dollars and profit."
Related: Patrick Reed's "team" say "cheating" footage was digitally altered
Furthermore, Reed's complaint details how he has been at the receiving end of personal attacks at golf tournaments which has reportedly hurt his performance and led to "emotional distress".
Those complaint points out that these things have been said to Reed over the years:
- "Now on thee tee, the excavator!"
- "You suck!"
- "You f---ing suck"
- "You jackass!"
- "You coward"
- "Shovel!"
- "Why don't you dig a grave and bury yourself in it!"
- "You piece of s***!"
- "No one likes you!"
- "Everyone hates you Reed!"
- "Good luck digging yourself out of this one!"
- "Where are your parents coward!"
- "You cheater!"
- "Cheat!"
- "Everyone hates you cheater!"
- "You're going to miss this cheater!"
- "You cheat in college and on Tour and you're a piece of s***!"
- "Why don't you introduce your children to their grandparents you ungrateful b****"
The lawsuit also addresses one of the most controversial moments of Reed's career at the 2021 Farmers, which he won.
But he faced a barrage of criticism from the media and even players on Tour for how he handled a drop during the third round.
Reed points out in the lawsuit he was cleared of "any wrongdoing by the PGA Tour".
