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Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Patrick Reed’s $750 Million Defamation Lawsuit

Judges found he did not show commentators knowingly made false statements, leaving him with only an unlikely en banc rehearing or Supreme Court petition.

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.