Court Dismisses Defamation Case Filed Against Meghan Markle By Half-Sister

The United States court dismissed a defamation case brought against the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, by her half-sister, Samantha Markle.

The Duchess of Sussex was accused of spreading “demonstrably false and malicious lies” to a “worldwide audience” in the royal couple’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Daily Mail reports.

Samantha Markle brought the defamation case against her younger sister in March 2022, alleging the duchess had defamed her by giving information to an unauthorised biography called Finding Freedom and by discussing their relationship Winfrey on live TV.

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 defendant’s statement is not objectively verifiable or subject to empirical proof…. plaintiff cannot plausibly disprove defendant’s opinion of her childhood.”

Honeywell also found the duchess could not be liable for the contents of the book because she did not publish it.