Judge Corrigan of Florida has dismissed the petitions of Patrick Reed and requires him to pay the costs and attorney fees in the ruling for his defamation lawsuit against journalists Doug Ferguson, Shane Ryan, Damon Hack and Brandel Chamblee. Reed accused the aforementioned members of different media outlets of conspiracy, defamation, injurious falsehood and tortious interference, and claimed compensation of 750 million dollars. He presented 55 different statements that appeared in different publications and broadcasts.
The judge has dismissed all his petitions, including his own recusal of the judge, whose impartiality he doubted due to the comments of his rulings and hinting that he belonged to the same club in Ponte Vedra Beach as senior officials of the PGA Tour, including Jay Monahan, as well as the reconsideration of the sentence. The judge defends his impartiality, claims that he has not belonged to the aforementioned club during the process and that, in any case, Reed’s lawsuit has nothing to do with the PGA Tour. He also gives him a setback regarding the reconsideration of the sentence, alleging that no new evidence has been presented nor has any evident judicial error been demonstrated. “He is simply asking for the case to be reviewed on the same existing documentation,” he explains. “Reed only intends to relitigate past arguments, old issues and jurisprudence previously considered by the Court,” added Corrigan in his ruling. “He maintains that the Court ignored the jurisprudence he cited and was wrong in the interpretation of the law. This is incorrect. The Court carefully reviewed and listened to the writings and arguments presented before issuing the dispositive Order.”
Finally, he requires to pay the costs and attorney fees of the opposing party. They must present the total amount of the amounts before January 24 and Reed must respond before February 22. The judge again explains (this is the third ruling issued on this case) that the journalists’ right to freedom of expression on a public fact, included in the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States, is above what the player claims.
Corrigan ruled: “Reed does not meet the requirement to allege actual malice to hold the press responsible for defamation. Although Reed may feel frustrated by the negative coverage he receives from the media [some of which seem exaggerated], under Florida law and the First Amendment, Reed cannot file appealable defamation lawsuits and, therefore, his cases must be dismissed.”
