Meghan Markle faces a nail-biting day as her half-sister Samantha Markle launches a final bid to resurrect her defamation lawsuit. The Duchess was sued by her sibling in 2022 following statements made during the Sussexes’ bombshell Oprah Winfrey sit-down and their Netflix series, though the case was dismissed in March 2024.
This crucial hearing is scheduled to unfold in Jacksonville, Florida, at 9am local time. Should Samantha emerge victorious, she could compel Meghan to face a full trial and potentially fork over monetary compensation. However, if she suffers defeat, no appellate court remains available to her, signaling the definitive conclusion of her three-year legal battle against her half-sister.
Though Meghan, who is married to Prince Harry of the British Royal Family, isn’t anticipated to appear in the courtroom, Samantha’s legal representative Peter Ticktin declared the Duchess would be held “accountable for harming the people she harms.”
He added: “If I were to give advice to Meghan, it would be to wake up and smell the coffee. She keeps trying, but she’s not coming across the way she wants to to the American public.”, reports the Express.
“Now she’s going to be facing something where she has to be accountable for harming the people she harms, including her sister.”
In contrast, speaking in 2022, Meghan’s attorney Michael J. Kump stated they would dedicate “the minimum attention necessary, which is all it deserves.”
Following the launch of the couple’s docuseries, Harry & Meghan, Samantha’s legal team argued that several remarks made by the Duchess and a program participant on the Netflix show – when considered collectively – constituted an effort to unjustly damage Samantha’s reputation.
During her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan shared that she “grew up as an only child” and expressed her wish to have had siblings during her upbringing – noting that Samantha and Thomas Markle Jr. had already left their father’s household.
Samantha’s representatives previously contended that the program led audiences to believe that Meghan’s half-sister was involved in organizing the harassment campaign directed at the Duchess. They also maintained this portrayal was unjust.
Meghan never directly named Samantha while discussing the hostile messages she received, and the episode segment focusing on that subject concerned trolling conducted by multiple accounts.
The Duchess’ legal representatives stated in their previous court document: “An implicit or express statement that [Samantha] belongs to a hate group spreading disinformation about Meghan is an opinion protected by the First Amendment.”