LIV Golfer Patrick Reeds threaten CNN with a $450m lawsuit for defamatory comments
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Patrick Reeds, the nine-time PGA winner, is the latest LIV golfer to face the burnt of the media and golf community. CNN anchors Jake Tapper, and Bob Costas have recently been quite critical of the LIV golfer, even shooting out defamatory statements about him. Patrick Reeds’ lawyers have informed that the statements by the CNN anchors were “designed to incite ridicule, hatred, and violence” against the player and LIV Golf.
Reeds has demanded a public apology from CNN following these statements. Furthermore, he has threatened the news network with a $450 million lawsuit if his demands are not followed. The comments came from one of the sports segments of CNN last week, where Tapper and Costas were discussing LIV Golf.
The segment was titled ‘The Court Fight Between PGA Tour and LIV Golf Escalates as the Saudi-backed LIV Tries to Avoid Handing Over Information.’ This was broadcasted nationwide in the United States and internationally, and alleged LIV players, including Patrick Reeds, takes ‘blood money’ from the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
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CNN faces heavy legal backlash for its defamatory comments on LIV golfer Patrick Reeds
The public spat over LIV vs. PGA has now taken an ugly turn since LIV filed an antitrust subpoena case against the grand old golf tour in the Federal Court of the United States. During this case, PGA attornies have argued that LIV Golf of Saudi sports washing following the billion dollar investment by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. They also allege that LIV has been stealing data on 9/11 victim families through this antitrust case.
Critics of LIV Golf, including PGA golfers and commentators such as Jake Tapper and Bob Costas, have been vocal about Saudi Arabia’s role in LIV Golf. While addressing this topic in their weekly segment, they have alleged LIV golfers, including Patrick Reeds, to be taking ‘blood money.’ This question of ‘blood money’ comes in the wake of 22 years of the 9/11 tragedy.
In a letter written to CNN by Reeds’ attorneys Klayman’s Law Group, the player demands an immediate apology from the news network within five days over Tapper and Costas’ comments. He has also threatened with a $450 million lawsuit if his demands are not followed. In the letter, Reeds’ attorneys write, “Mr. Reed is not a taker of ‘blood money’, as he simply plays on a golf tour financed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which also owns large shares in a myriad of American companies such as Disney, Boeing, JP Morgan Chase, Amazon, Blackrock Inc., Microsoft, and many others.”
The letter also points out the hypocrisy of the PGA Tour regarding Saudi investments. They point out the releases granted to players by the PGA Tour for the Saudi International Golf Tournament and the investment of Aramco in the LPGA events.
In response to this, CNN says, “This is a frivolous lawsuit, whose aim is to chill free speech and intimidate journalists from covering important stories about the Saudi government and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament. CNN will aggressively defend its reporting, which did not even mention the plaintiff in its coverage.”
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)