Meghan Markle Wins Court Battle Against Half-Sister Samantha Over 'Malicious Lies'
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex has finally won her bid to throw out a US defamation case brought in by her half-sister, Samantha Markle. Samantha had sued her for alleged defamation and "injurious falsehood," which included Meghan saying she was an "only child" in her interview with Oprah Winfrey reported that the 58-year-old half-sister was seeking $75,000 (£62,000) in damages. But a Florida judge dismissed the case, saying Meghan was expressing an opinion, and opinions cannot be proved false.
In court papers seen by the PA new agency, US District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell wrote: "As a reasonable listener would understand it, defendant merely expresses an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-siblings. Thus, the court finds that the defendant's statement is not objectively verifiable or subject to empirical proof.... plaintiff cannot plausibly disprove the defendant's opinion of her own childhood."
Samantha Markle is Meghan's half-sister from father Thomas Markle's first marriage. She sought the civil case in March last year. In it, she accused Meghan of the following: exposing her to "humiliation, shame, and hatred on a worldwide scale;" misrepresenting their relationship when they were growing up, giving the impression they were "virtual strangers" and that she had "no relationship whatsoever with her sister Meghan;" and "falsely and maliciously" stating that she was "an only child" when interviewed with Prince Harry by Oprah Winfrey, in 2021. She also alleged that Meghan pursued a "false rags-to-royalty narrative," claiming childhood hardship, which destroyed her half-sister and father's "reputation and credibility."
During the highly anticipated and televised Oprah interview, the Duchess of Sussex mentioned that she did not really know Samantha, adding: "I grew up as an only child, which everyone who grew up around me knows, and I wished I had siblings." The Florida native also alleged that Meghan had defamed her by giving information to a 2020 unauthorized biography called Finding Freedom. However, Judge Honeywell found the duchess could not be held liable for the contents of the book because it was never published.
Us Weekly reports, the Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister author alleged that Meghan made up stories about growing up in “virtual poverty.” The Duchess of Sussex counterclaimed with the statement that “[She] changed her last name back to Markle in her early 50s … only when I started dating Harry. So, I think that says enough.”
Samantha, while accusing the royal philanthropist, stated that the televised interview about their family had a negative effect on the sales of her autobiography. She said that she suffered from emotional and mental trauma and had trouble finding work as a result of the open royal rendezvous. Meghan and her half-sister's relationship has been strained for years but came into the public interest soon after Meghan and Harry announced their engagement and wedding.
