US Judge has dismissed the defamation case filed against Suits actress and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle by her half-sister, Samantha. The latter sued Markle over remarks made in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and a Netflix documentary.
Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has apparently found the comments not plausible to defame Samantha or were merely just opinions. The complainant will not be able to refile as the case was dismissed with prejudice.
Meghan Markle Wins Over Defamation Case Filed By Half-Sister
The United States District Judge ruled in favor of Meghan Markle, dismissing the case and stating (via court documents obtained by ET Online):
“The Court grants the motion to dismiss, in full. [Samantha Markle’s] claims will be dismissed with prejudice, as she has failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation or defamation-by-implication by this point. As such, the Third Amended Complaint will be dismissed, with prejudice.”
Meanwhile, Samantha Markle’s camp is disappointed with the outcome. Her lawyer, Peter Ticktin, mentioned in a statement:
“At the hearing on the Motion to Dismiss, we thought that the judge understood our arguments. Her questions seemed to show an understanding, and her comments to start to get moving on discovery made no sense if she was going to dismiss.”
This is already the third time Samantha has attempted to bring the case against her half-sister. She claimed that she was slandered in a 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview where the Duchess reportedly accused her of swapping her surname back to Markle “so that [Samantha] could cash in on her newfound fame.”
Furthermore, Samantha also said that Meghan defamed her by stating she was “an only child” when in fact, they grew up together. The former was seeking $75,000 in damages.
Upon reviewing the order, the judge has not completely tossed out the case and is giving Samantha the time to amend her complaint within 14 days.
Kate Middleton’s Edited Family Photo Sparks Controversy
Meanwhile, amid the feud between Meghan Markle and her half-sister, the attention of the media is now diverted to royalty Kate Middleton’s controversial family portrait. The photo, which was uploaded by the Kensington Palace on UK’s Mother’s Day, was allegedly altered.
One of the many noticeable instances was the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand with the sleeve of her cardigan. Middleton is also not wearing her engagement or wedding ring. The following day, the Princess of Wales issued an apology via Twitter:
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
Her statement confirmed that the image was indeed edited, which roused many speculations among the public that Prince William did not take the picture as the source claimed. The Palace also has not shared the original photo.
Photo agencies issued a kill notice on the image, mandating news sites to take down the picture immediately.
