Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is poised for a courtroom showdown as her sister Samantha Markle’s libel case against her reaches a critical stage.
Samantha has filed a lawsuit against Meghan, accusing her of libel based on statements made during the Oprah Winfrey interview and her involvement in the Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan,” which premiered in December 2022.
Samantha Accuses Meghan of Defamation: A Closer Look at the Lawsuit
The legal team representing the Duchess of Sussex argues that Samantha’s case lacks merit and is requesting Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell to dismiss the lawsuit at the Federal Court in Tampa, Florida.
According to a court filing obtained by Newsweek, it states:
“Plaintiff Samantha Markle, and Defendant Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, by and through their respective undersigned counsel of record, hereby request that the Court hold oral argument in connection with Defendant’s pending Motion to Dismiss the Third Amended Complaint, in light of the extensive briefing by the parties. Counsel estimates a total of 60 minutes for oral argument.”
Samantha’s complaint takes issue with Meghan’s alleged portrayal of their relationship during the Oprah Winfrey interview.
Specifically, Samantha claims that Meghan made defamatory statements such as, “I grew up as an only child,” and “I wished I had siblings,” which she believes to be false. Samantha asserts that those close to Meghan know the truth.
The Duchess of Sussex had previously mentioned living with her mother during the week and her father on weekends, while stating that her father lived alone because his adult children had moved out.
Furthermore, Samantha’s complaint targets Meghan’s statements made in the Netflix documentary. Meghan remarked:
“I was with my mom during the week and with my dad on the weekends. And my dad lived alone, he had two adult children who had moved out of his house.”
Samantha alleges that these remarks were an attempt to undermine her credibility by implying that she was lying.
According to a court filing, Samantha’s lawyers argue:
“The Series undermined Samantha. It both directly stated and implied that everything Samantha was saying or had said was a lie.
Meghan continues to participate in and perpetuate the lies about her family and upbringing, and where Meghan could have set the record straight, she did not
Instead, Meghan continues the hurtful lies being told about her sister, Samantha; lies that have defamed Samantha and the negative fallout that has therefrom occurred.”
This is not the first time Samantha’s case has been dismissed, and the judge overseeing the proceedings has indicated that this latest attempt to bring the libel allegations to trial will likely be Samantha’s final opportunity.
Meghan’s legal team argues in a court filing, “Three times [Samantha] has tried—and failed—to turn a personal grudge into a federal case for reasons unbeknownst to Meghan, relying solely on non-actionable opinions and third-party statements. This action should be dismissed with prejudice.”
The defense maintains that the statements in question were not defamatory and that many of them were merely non-actionable opinions that cannot be proven either true or false.