Patrick Reed wants to recuse judge who tossed out $750m lawsuits

Patrick Reed has filed a motion to recuse the federal judge who dismissed his $750m defamation lawsuits against golf reporters and media outlets last month.

Reed saw 55 defamation claims thrown out by US District Judge Timothy Corrigan on September 27 as he failed to secure damages against journalists including Brandel Chamblee, Eamon Lynch, Damon Hack and Shane Bacon.

The 2018 Masters champion had stated in his complaint that the parties, including multiple outlets such as Golf Channel, Golfweek and Conde Nast, were “spreading lies” about him and “calculated, malicious, false and reckless attacks” had caused damages.

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“While Reed may be frustrated at the negative media coverage he receives (some of which seems over the top), under Florida law and the First Amendment, Reed fails to bring actionable defamation claims and his cases therefore must be dismissed,” Corrigan explained in a 78-page document denying the 33-year-old.

And in the latest twist, a release from Reed’s law firm says the LIV golfer has now filed a motion to disqualify Corrigan, the Chief Judge of the US District Court for Middle District of Florida, over “biased conduct in dismissing fifty-five (55) defamatory publications made by the likes of Brandel Chamblee, Eamon Lynch, Shane Ryan, Shane Bacon, Damon Hack, Doug Ferguson and others in the coopted pro-PGA Tour golf media who have severely harmed Mr. Reed, his family and his team, all in an effort to also damage LIV Golf.”

The release sent out by Klayman Law Group read: “The motion to disqualify Judge Corrigan is based on an extreme prejudged mindset to deep six these cases, by wrongfully taking away from the jury the right to determine whether Mr. Reed had been defamed.

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“Among the defamatory statements were attacks on Mr. Reed as a habitual cheater when in fact he has never been found to have cheated, as well as his playing professional golf on the LIV Golf Tour, where he and other top LIV players have been branded and smeared as murderers, takers of blood money, terrorist sympathisers and being employed by the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Putin, when in reality he simply plays professional golf on a tour financed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.”

Reed’s lawyer Larry Klayman wrote in the statement: “Based on the motions, Judge Corrigan must now recuse himself and assign the cases to another jurist in the Middle District to reconsider, set aside the dismissals and allow these cases to proceed, so justice can now be done in an unbiased and fair manner, as my client, his family and team have been severely harmed by the coopted pro-PGA Tour dishonest jackals in the fake news golf media” who sought to destroy Mr. Reed for ratings, clicks and profit, causing him huge financial damage, emotional distress and loss of reputation and good will.”