Federal Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell in Florida has made a resounding decision to completely toss out a defamation lawsuit brought by Samantha Markle against her half-sister, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
This marks the third attempt by Samantha Markle to hold Meghan accountable for remarks made during a CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 and comments allegedly made on the Netflix series “Harry & Meghan.”
Senior U.S. District Judge Honeywell dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the claims cannot be filed again, stating there was no reason to expect a different outcome with further amendments. The judge’s decision was based on the failure of Samantha Markle to adequately state a claim for defamation or defamation by implication.
Samantha Markle had accused Meghan Markle of making false and malicious statements that subjected her to public scrutiny, affecting her mental health. However, Judge Honeywell found that the statements in question were either protected opinion, substantially true, or incapable of being considered defamatory.
Despite Samantha Markle’s claims of facing backlash and damage to her reputation, the judge concluded that she failed to plausibly state a claim for defamation. Additionally, Honeywell deemed further amendments to the lawsuit futile, given the deficiencies in the claims presented.
In response to the ruling, Meghan Markle’s attorney, Michael J. Kump, expressed satisfaction, stating, “We are pleased with the Court’s ruling dismissing the case.”
