Meghan Markle sued by her half-sister Samantha for defamation
Meghan Markle is looking at legal troubles after her half-sister, Samantha Markle, filed a defamation lawsuit against her. As per a report by Entertainment Tonight, the defamation case filed by Samantha on February 3, is for "defamation based on demonstrable false and malicious statements" made by Meghan to a worldwide audience. Here is everything you need to know about the suit, allegations, and counter-allegations.
Why does this story matter?
- Meghan's parents Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle separated when the Suits actor was two years old. Samantha is Megan's half-sister from his father's side.
- While Meghan has reportedly maintained that she shared no close relationship with her half-sister and hadn't seen her for over a decade, Samantha, per reports, said that she had a close bond with Meghan until 2018.
Lawsuit over Meghan's comments during Oprah Winfrey's 2021 interview
The lawsuit that Samantha filed is related to comments that the Duchess of Sussex made during her and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. Samantha also alleged that Meghan made "false and malicious" statements about her in the 2020 book penned by Meghan, titled Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family.
Samantha claimed Meghan tried to destroy her reputation
In the lawsuit, Samantha further claimed that Meghan's comments about her were to destroy (Samantha's) reputation which resulted in (Samantha's) "humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale." She also alleged that Meghan tried to destroy her (Samantha's) and her father's reputation "to preserve and promote the false 'rags-to-royalty' narrative (Meghan) had fabricated about her life to the Royal Family and the worldwide media."
Suit was filed for $75,000
Samantha went on to deny Meghan's claims about not spending time with her while growing up and her claim about Samantha being a "high-school dropout." She also denied another claim that said Samantha changed her name to Markle only after Meghan started dating Harry in 2018. Samantha has sought damages worth $75,000 and has also requested a trial by a jury.
