According to court documents, the 40-year-old Duchess of Sussex files to dismiss Samantha's lawsuit which stems from Meghan and husband Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey back in March 2021.
- June 30, 2022
AceShowbiz - Meghan Markle has responded to her half-sister Samantha Markle's "meritless defamation case." In court documents, the Duchess of Sussex wants the case to be tossed and demands that her estranged sibling cover her attorneys' fees.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, the 40-year-old filed to dismiss Samantha's lawsuit which stemmed from Meghan and husband Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey back in March 2021. Samantha alleged that Meghan during which Samantha claimed that Meghan lied about both her upbringing and their relationship.
Shutting down the claims, Meghan's lawyers said that Samantha's complaint "has no place in this court or any other" because they feel she is asking the court to decide whether she and Meghan "had ever 'been close,' how many times the two 'crossed paths' as adults." The royal's legal team also believed that she's asking the court to decide whether Meghan's feelings that she "grew up as an only child are 'true' or false.' "
"We do not empanel juries to rule on whether two people are 'close,' or whether one genuinely feels that they 'grew up as an only child,' " the documents state. "Courts are not equipped to adjudicate the legitimacy of a person's feelings about their childhood and relationships. Nor should they be."
They went on to argue that Samantha's dispute "does not state a claim for defamation or injurious falsehood." They asked Samantha to pay for the court costs Meghan has incurred while defending herself.
Samantha filed a $75,000 lawsuit against Meghan in March. She accused the former "Suits" star of making "false and malicious statements" during the high-profile sit-down with her husband.
She additionally claimed that the mom of two falsely claimed to be "an only child" and presented a fraudulent timeline of when they last saw each other. "The defamatory implication is that [Samantha] had no relationship whatsoever with her sister Meghan, they were virtual strangers and that [Samantha] has created a lucrative career selling false stories to tabloids and television programs when she knows nothing about [Meghan's] childhood," the filing read.
