Tag: Larry Klayman

PGA Tour secures dismissal of fourth amended complaint in suit brought by attorney Larry Klayman

Attorney Larry Klayman loses again.

Attorney Larry Klayman loses again. A Palm Beach County (Fla.) circuit court judge last Friday dismissed a lawsuit accusing the PGA Tour of overcharging for tickets at five events held in 2023 and 2024.

On Sept. 6, the 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida granted the Tour’s motion and dismissed the fourth amended complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The case asserted allegations of conspiracy to prevent LIV golfers from participating in Tour events.

Klayman alleged this led to attendees being overcharged for certain Tour activities. He originally filed this action as a putative class action on June 27, 2022. On Nov. 3, 2023, the Palm Beach circuit court dismissed the Third Amended Complaint against DP World Tour, Keith Pelley, the Golf Channel, and OWGR for lack of personal jurisdiction.

Klayman alleged that the Tour overcharged his spectator admission tickets by 10 percent to 34 percent in violation of the Florida Antitrust Act and Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practice Act.

The five events in question:

  • 2023 Honda Classic
  • 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational
  • 2023 Players Championship
  • 2023 Valspar Championship
  • 2024 Genesis Open

The latter wasn’t applicable since the event happened in California, and Florida law governs only alleged injuries that occur in the Sunshine State. The potential damages from the Florida events were estimated to be only $174 and Delgado noted that applicable state law requires that damages exceed $30,000 in order for the court to recognize subject matter jurisdiction.

In his opposition brief to the Tour’s motion to dismiss, Klayman asserted that this Court should enjoin the Tour from:

  • Setting supracompetitive prices for tickets, concessions, memorabilia, and souvenirs to and at Tour events
  • Suspending PGA Tour golfers who participate in LIV tournaments
  • Fining Tour golfers who participate in LIV tournaments
  • Working with OWGR to deny OWGR points to LIV golfers
  • Working with the Golf Channel to falsely publish that LIV and its players are cavorting with and effectively murderers and terrorists by playing professional golf and accepting blood money to play professional golf from LIV, which is financed by the Saudi Investment Fund.

None of these items are stated as requests for relief in the FAC. Klayman’s advocacy group, Freedom Watch, disputed Delgado’s ruling. Freedom Watch says Delgado allowed “the case to be turned into a virtually secret star chamber, with little to no public access.”

Freedom Watch also insists the case “was filed in the public interest, with the right of golf fans and the consuming public to know of the alleged monopolistic acts of the PGA Tour and its commissioner, in collusion with Tiger Woods” and others.

The law firm Skadden Arps represented the Tour in this matter.

 

Patrick Reed’s attorney demands on-air apology from CNN’s Jake Tapper, Bob Costas; threatens $450M lawsuit

The attorney representing Reed is demanding an on-air apology from the duo for a “highly defamatory piece.”

An attorney representing Patrick Reed has added yet another lawsuit to a lengthy list of recent filings against media companies and personalities.

During a segment on CNN last week, studio host Jake Tapper chatted with longtime announcer and reporter Bob Costas about the court battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. A letter from Larry Klayman, the attorney representing Reed, is demanding an on-air apology from the duo for what it calls a “highly defamatory piece.”

If not, Klayman’s letter says his group reserves the right “to sue Tapper, Costas and CNN pursuant to Florida Statute 770.01 for damages well in excess of $450,000,000 dollars which includes compensatory, actual, special and punitive damages.”

It should be noted that the piece didn’t include a mention of Reed, who has fallen down to No. 80 on the Official World Golf Ranking since moving to LIV Golf.

In 2022, Klayman filed and then refiled a $750 million defamation lawsuit against Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, Damon Hack, Shane Bacon, as well as Golfweek columnist Eamon Lynch and its parent company, Gannett, then added a $250 million lawsuit against author Shane Ryan, Hachette Publishing, the New York Post and Fox Sports, as well as Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson and the organization for whom he works.

In civil cases, plaintiffs have to prove whether a defendant is liable, not whether a defendant is guilty. The suit was filed by Klayman, a Florida-based attorney who has been on the losing end of a number of defamation lawsuits, including one in which Arizona politician “Sheriff Joe” Arpaio sued several national media outlets, alleging they defamed him and impacted his attempt to win a U.S. Senate seat.

The original suit against Brandel Chamblee and Golf Channel said the group had “conspired as joint tortfeasors for and with the PGA Tour, it’s (sic) executives and it’s Commissioner Jay Monahan, to engage in a pattern and practice of defaming Mr. Reed, misreporting information with falsity and/or reckless disregard for the truth … purposely omitting pertinent key material facts to mislead the public, and actively targeting Mr. Reed since he was 23 years old to destroy his reputation, create hate, and a hostile work environment for him … ”

The new suit takes aim at Tapper and his political commentary, especially in regard to former President Donald Trump, who is tied to a number of golf properties.

At one time, I had known Jake Tapper to a moderately honest journalist and commentator, but after the election of President Donald Trump, he sold his soul to the hierarchy of CNN, then headed by rabid Trump-hater Jeff Zucker. Ever since, CNN and Tapper pliantly have been on a crusade to destroy Trump, which crusade apparently appeals to CNN’s generally leftist viewership, and reaps profit for the network. Interestingly, a person with the last name Zucker is referenced in the subject broadcast.

While Jeff Zucker has since been fired at the CEO of CNN over alleged misconduct with a subordinate at CNN, his legacy as a Trump-hater lives on and Tapper continues his unhinged vicious attacks on not just Trump but anyone and anything associated with him, such as LIV Golf, which simply played two events at the former president’s golfing venues in New Jersey and Florida last year, which LIV Golf payed (sic) for.”

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LIV Golf: Patrick Reed’s $750 million defamation lawsuit dismissed in Florida court

Reed’s attorneys will have until Dec. 16 to file an amended complaint.

Patrick Reed’s $750 million defamation lawsuit, which was originally filed Aug. 16 in Texas and eventually refiled in Florida the next month, has been dismissed.

The lawsuit alleged conspiracy, defamation, injurious falsehood and tortious interference and that the defenders have acted “in concert as joint tortfeasors.” The defendents included Golfweek and its parent company, Eamon Lynch, a Golfweek columnist, Golf Channel and its employees Brandel Chamblee, Damon Hack and Shane Bacon.

Larry Klayman, Reed’s attorney, earlier stated, “The PGA Tour’s and its ‘partner’ the NBC’s Golf Channel’s mission is to destroy a top LIV Golf Tour player, his family, as well as all of the LIV Golf players, to further their agenda and alleged collaborative efforts to destroy the new LIV Golf Tour. As alleged in the Complaint, these calculated malicious attacks have created hate, aided and abetted a hostile workplace environment, and have caused substantial financial and emotional damage and harm to Mr. Reed and his family.”

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan dismissed the original complaint Friday, according to court records. In his order to dismiss, Corrigan states, “Reed’s Complaint does not cleanly fit into one of the four types of shotgun pleadings; however, it fails to give Defendants notice of the grounds upon which each claim rests because Reed alleges 120 factual allegations, then proceeds to incorporate all 120 allegations into each and every count. … Reed attempts to allege various defamation and civil conspiracy violations against each Defendant; causes of action which require vastly different factual allegations.”

Reed’s attorneys will have until Dec. 16 to file an amended complaint in conjunction with the judge’s orders.

Earlier this month, Klayman filed a new $250 million suit against a number of other prominent golf media members and organizations, including author Shane Ryan, Hachette, the New York Post and Fox Sports, as well as Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson and the organization for whom he works.

Klayman announced the filing of a Second Amended Class Action Complaint in Palm Beach County’s 15th Judicial Circuit on Monday which alleges antitrust conspiracy to restrain trade and harm golf fans in the state of Florida, as well as “eliminate LIV Golf in its infancy.”

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New complaints in Florida court sue Official World Golf Ranking for allegedly colluding with PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Golf Channel

The complaint further alleges monopolization, attempted monopolization and other unfair trade practices.

Attorney Larry Klayman announced the filing of a Second Amended Class Action Complaint in Palm Beach County’s 15th Judicial Circuit on Monday which alleges antitrust conspiracy to restrain trade and harm golf fans in the state of Florida, as well as “eliminate LIV Golf in its infancy.”

Named in the court filing are the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour Golf Channel and the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

The OWGR is alleged to be part of a conspiracy to restrain trade in violation of Florida’s antitrust laws because its board contains “the conflicted leadership of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley are both on the OWGR board.

The court filing alleges that consumers “have seen the quality of the product that they are paying for at PGA Tour events be diluted and destroyed by a deterioration of the talent level at PGA Tour events due to the exclusion of many of the top players in the world who have signed to LIV Golf.”

The court filing also claims tickets for the Players Championship in 2023 are 34 percent higher than in 2022, “and some packages for the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida are at least ten percent higher in 2023 than in 2022” and later refers to the increases as “supracompetitive prices.”

The complaint further alleges monopolization, attempted monopolization, group boycotts and other unfair trade practices. The first amended class action complaint to name the OWGR was filed on Nov. 4. The second amended complaint was e-filed Nov. 11. Golfweek confirmed with the 15th Judicial Circuit the second complaint is still pending at the time of this post’s publication. Offices were closed on Nov. 9th and 10th due to Hurricane Nicole and also on Nov. 11th for Veterans Day.

The second amended action “seeks actual and compensatory damages, in an amount to be determined” by a jury.

“Consumers, that is Florida golf fans including me, have as much right as anyone to benefit from a free market, which would allow all golf leagues and independent contractor players to fairly compete,” said Klayman via a release. “But the Defendants have illegally worked hard to prevent this, as the PGA Tour and its co-conspirator Defendants will not tolerate honest and fair competition, as it will challenge their trillion dollar plus monopoly to totally dominate the golf world.”

While representing LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed, Klayman refiled a $750 million defamation lawsuit in late September to add Golf Channel’s Damon Hack, Shane Bacon, as well as Golfweek columnist Eamon Lynch and its parent company, Gannett. Earlier this month, Klayman filed a new $250 million suit against a number of other prominent golf media members and organizations, including author Shane Ryan, Hachette, the New York Post and Fox Sports, as well as Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson and the organization for whom he works.

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Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy served subpoenas by lawyer who filed lawsuits for Patrick Reed against Golf Channel, Brandel Chamblee

The lawyer claims the meeting was “anticompetitive and violative of the antitrust laws.”

On August 16, documents were released that showed Patrick Reed had filed lawsuits against Golf Channel and Brandel Chamblee, seeking $750 million in damages.

Now, just a few weeks later, Larry Klayman, the lawyer who filed the aforementioned lawsuits, is coming after two of the biggest names in golf.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have been reportedly served subpoenas as Klayman attempts to bring the superstars to court to testify about the players-only meeting that took place during the week of the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware.

The lawyer claims the meeting was “anticompetitive and violative of the antitrust laws vis a vis the LIV Golf Tour and its players,” and that the changes the PGA Tour revealed Wednesday are an attempt to “emulate LIV Golf, while continuing to allegedly harm LIV and its players by, among other alleged anticompetitive acts, working to deny them world ranking points to compete in major tournaments such as the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has been summoned, as well.

  • Woods given notice to appear in court September 21.
  • McIlroy a day later on September 22.
  • Monahan on September 27.

Klayman also released the following:

“This is not a personal ‘thing’ against Woods, McIlroy and Monahan, it’s about getting information about what occurred at the players’ meeting and generally with regard to allegations in our complaint that the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and their commissioners Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley, are allegedly colluding in restraint of trade and the antitrust laws to harm the LIV Golf Tour and its players.”

Some of the changes the Tour announced earlier this week include increased purses at elevated events, top 20 players playing in at least 20 events including the 12 elevated tournaments and the Player Impact Program expanding to include 20 players from the original 10.

Along with the changes, the joint venture between Woods, McIlroy and the Tour, the TGL, was announced.

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