Patrick Reed files another lawsuit against golf media “jackals”

Patrick Reed has filed another lawsuit against more members of the media.  

The 2018 Masters champion is suing Shane Ryan, Hachette, the New York Post, Fox Sports, Doug Ferguson and the Associated Press for defamation, injurious falsehood, and tortious interference over what he claims are “malicious false publications, all of which were designed to severely harm Mr Reed, his family and colleagues personally and professionally.”

This follows a similar suit filed by Reed against Brandel Chamblee, Eamon Lynch, Damon Hack, Shane Bacon and others in September.

Reed’s lawyer, Larry Klayman, alleges that Ryan, Ferguson and their co-defendants have “conspired with the PGA Tour” to damage LIV Golf, which Reed joined earlier in the year.

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It is alleged that Ryan, in particular, was “pathologically obsessed” with harming Reed and his family.

“My client, his family and colleagues have been made the whipping boy of cheap and dishonest journalists in the golf media, like Shane Ryan, who feed at the trough of the PGA Tour, a tour that historically mistreated Mr. Reed,” said Klayman, who is seeking $250m in damages for Reed.

“My client’s move to LIV Golf was primarily due to this mistreatment, where adequate security was not even provided at PGA Tour events, where hostile fans vilified and threatened Mr. Reed, his wife, caddie, and coach, thanks to the rank defamation and other alleged illegal acts of Defendants in these two recently filed lawsuits.”

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He added: “Mr. Reed, on behalf of himself, his family, and colleagues, simply will not take it anymore and he is fighting back in the courts to not just redeem his rightful reputation for honesty and superior golf achievements and successes, but also to protect his loved ones from the likes of Shane Ryan, Doug Ferguson and the rest of the jackals who make their sorry and pathetic living spreading lies and false information about him.

“These types of journalists, publishers and networks give the good ones a bad name, by publishing and broadcasting false information to the masses for their own financial gain to generate readers, viewership, clicks, and for no other reason than to use Mr. Reed callously and cruelly as a tool to make money, no matter how harmful it has been or will be to his career, his family, colleagues and his life.”

UPDATE

Shane Ryan has responded to the lawsuit by posting this tweet: