Overview
- An Eleventh Circuit panel affirmed a Florida judge’s decision to dismiss Reed’s lawsuits against Golf Channel, Brandel Chamblee and others for failing to plead actual malice.
- The court ruled that Reed’s complaints consisted of conclusory allegations without demonstrating that any defendant knew their statements were false or acted with reckless disregard.
- Reed sought more than $750 million in damages for reputational harm and lost sponsorship deals following criticism after his 2022 switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
- The ruling closes Reed’s appeal at the federal appellate level, since petitions for en banc rehearing are rarely granted and a Supreme Court challenge would face steep odds.
- Across Reed’s defamation and related LIV PGA Tour disputes, courts have repeatedly emphasized First Amendment protections for opinion and rhetorical hyperbole in public-figure claims.