The back-and-forth has begun between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour in the world of legal wrangling and discovery.
In the latest twist, LIV Golf has been accused to using the discovery process “to build an intelligence file” on groups of 9/11 survivors and victims’ families who have protested and criticized the Saudi-backed golf league.
Last month attorneys for LIV Golf filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to compel Clout Public Affairs, a Houston-based firm, to produce documents in conjunction with the ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by LIV and a threesome of former PGA Tour players against the Tour last year in Northern California.
Clout represents the Tour as well as the 9/11 Justice organization and lawyers for LIV claimed “the Tour itself has been secretly stoking the anti-Saudi sentiment that it now uses to justify its illegal conduct.” The motion also claimed the Tour has been “running a clandestine public relations campaign to smear LIV for its Saudi funding” and that Clout was hired to “front” this campaign.
Attorneys for Clout didn’t waste any time firing back with this:
“LIV’s real objective in subpoenaing Clout, however, is to cull sensitive communications from Clout that cannot conceivably be useful in LIV’s antirust case,” the motion from Clout’s attorneys read. “Specifically, LIV wants Clout’s communications with 9/11 Justice, a group of victims and families who have advocated for years in favor of full disclosure and accountability regarding the Kingdom’s role in the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.”
While LIV claimed that the 9/11 groups “engaged in an astroturf campaign against the Kingdom and LIV” attorneys for Clout argued that the legal maneuvering was aimed at identifying those who are critical of Saudi Arabia and LIV.
The motion also read: “LIV Golf seeks information not only on Clout’s work regarding LIV and golf, but chillingly, it also seeks to sift any communications Clout has had with 9/11 families about the Saudi league, their sovereign wealth fund, and the agents that have been hired to track and monitor 9/11 families in the United States.”
Eye-opening stuff.
Another Executive Quits The LIV Show:
Last month LIV COO Atul Khosla left the LIV circus.
Matt Goodman has joined him in the departure lane. Goodman was the LIV Director of Franchises. He was named to the position in May of last year. Now he’s exited. Before joining LIV, Goodman was the COO and chief commercial officer for the New York City Football Club of Major League Soccer. Prior to that, he worked in marketing and business administration for the NBA.
Both Khosla and Goodman were involved in key parts of the LIV business plan. Goodman was part of the plan to develop a team model of franchises that were/are to be sold to big money ownership groups and eventually those owners would be responsible for paying said teams.
The LIV exhibition/circus show is scheduled to begin its 14-tournament league schedule Feb. 24-26 in Mexico.
