Meghan Markle is gaining some momentum from her ongoing legal battle with her half-sister, Samantha Markle.
Samantha has accused the Duchess of Sussex of making “obviously false and malicious statements” during her interview with Oprah Winfrey, leading to a lawsuit filed in a Florida federal court.
After a $75,000 lawsuit was brought before a federal judge last year, Samantha pursued her case further on Tuesday at Jacksonville’s 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, presenting her claims to a panel of three judges.
However, the judges seemed skeptical about her appeal, with concerns raised regarding whether her arguments addressed the original ruling made by Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell.
“Everything you present seems to miss the point,” remarked US Circuit Judge William Pryor during the proceedings.
He emphasized that for the appeal to hold weight, Samantha needed to thoroughly challenge the district court’s decision, which her team failed to do.
Samantha’s legal representatives countered that the cumulative effect of Meghan’s remarks in the 2021 interview implied harm to Samantha’s reputation.
“The intent was clearly to destroy Samantha Markle,” stated her attorney, Peter Tiktin. “They leveraged terms like ‘disinformation’ and ‘racist trolls,’ which resulted in significant community backlash against her.”
Tiktin further claimed it resembled a “smorgasbord” of tactics aimed at dodging accountability, indicating that the aim was truly to bring harm to Samantha.
While the outcome of the appeal remains uncertain, Judge Pryor’s comments suggest that Samantha’s case is facing significant hurdles.
Prior to this recent appeal, Samantha had already filed a libel lawsuit against Meghan in late 2022. At that time, Meghan’s legal team dismissed her claims as minimal and unworthy of serious consideration.
Their father, Thomas Markle Sr., who relocated to the Philippines earlier this year, expressed readiness to testify in support of Samantha’s case in March 2022.
Following a similar ruling in 2023, where a Florida judge dismissed the lawsuit, citing that Meghan’s comments were more opinion than actionable statements, Samantha faced more difficulty.
“A reasonable listener understands it to be an opinion regarding her upbringing and her half-sibling relationships,” stated US District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell, as reflected in her order.
Samantha also sought to reclaim her past as an actress, having made allegations concerning the royal family’s discussions on sensitive topics, along with claims against her father related to leaks to British tabloids.
She contended that Meghan’s comments led to “humiliation and hatred” directed at her, yet Kump reiterated that, as a former royal, Meghan retains the right to express her opinions under the First Amendment.
