Report: Patrick Reed Refiles Defamation Lawsuit to Include Damon Hack, Shane Bacon and Eamon Lynch
Patrick Reed’s attorney has refiled his lawsuit against Golf Channel and analyst Brandel Chamblee in a Florida court and added Golf Channel personalities Damon Hack, Shane Bacon and Eamon Lynch, who also writes for Golfweek.
The suit also now includes Golfweek and its owner, Gannett.
The change from a Texas court to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Jacksonville and the addition of defendants was reported by The Athletic.
The 2018 Masters champion originally filed his $750 million suit in a U.S. district court on Aug. 16. The new filing seeks actual and compensatory damages “in excess” of that amount, according to the report.
Reed, who joined LIV Golf, alleged that Chamblee and the network had been "actively targeting 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."
The complaint continued: “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."
Chamblee, who won once in his PGA Tour career, is one of the game’s leading analysts. He was critical of Reed in the aftermath of a rule incident at the Hero World Challenge in 2019 in which Reed was penalized for improving his lie in a sandy waste area.
Represented by former U.S. Justice Department prosecutor Larry Klayman, Reed claimed that Chamblee and the Golf Channel “conspired” with the the PGA Tour and commissioner Jay Monahan to “engage in a pattern and practice of defaming Mr. Reed.”
The suit said Reed lost multiple multimillion-dollar sponsorships as a result of the defamation and sought $750 million in actual and compensatory damages.
A nine-time PGA Tour winner, Reed has played in four LIV events, with a best finish of third. He’s been on the winning team, the 4 Aces, in each tournament.
Reed missed the cut last week at the French Open and withdrew from this week’s Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour. He is playing in next week’s LIV event in Bangkok.