Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha has launched a new legal battle to sue the Duchess for defamation, alleging that Meghan Markle has portrayed herself in a way that has made her unable to work.
The 59-year-old woman is appealing a court ruling that rejected her claim that Meghan portrayed her as a “mendacious, racist, fame-seeking woman”.
Samantha claims her sister, the Duchess, did not know her when they were growing up, and has now destroyed her image “publicly and on a global scale,” according to court documents obtained by The sun.
“She has prevented Samantha from being able to work, or even enjoy the most mundane activities, like going to the grocery store, without being harassed,” the document continues.
But the case, which revolves around comments Prince Harry and Meghan made during the infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and on the TV series Harry & Meghan in December 2022, was previously dismissed.
Samantha Markle (left) has launched a new legal battle to sue her Duchess sister Meghan Markle (right) for defamation. Pictured: The couple at Samantha’s graduation in 2008
Samantha, 59, (pictured center) is appealing a court ruling that rejected her claim that Meghan portrayed her as a “lying, racist, fame-seeking woman.” Pictured: Samantha Markle arrives at a Florida courthouse on Nov. 8
Samantha Markle claims Meghan defamed her in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey
In March, Florida Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell said that Samantha “had failed to find any explanation that could support a claim for defamation.”
The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it could not simply be refiled. But Samantha’s legal team was determined to overturn that decision.
The documents, filed in a Florida court, show that Samantha was portrayed as an individual “who seeks to harm Meghan and profit from the harm caused.”
Her lawyers now claim that Judge Honeywell failed to consider the implied defamation created by the omission of facts.
The March decision spared Meghan from a trial scheduled for November in Tampa District Court.
Samantha is seeking at least $75,000 for defamation and implied defamation, alleging Meghan suggested to Oprah that she was raised as an only child.
Meghan also said that Samantha only changed her name back to Markle after she started dating Harry.
According to Samantha, Meghan made similar claims in the Netflix series and the accusations brought her “global humiliation, shame and hatred.”
In her 58-page ruling, Judge Honeywell found that Meghan’s statements could not be defamatory because they were “substantially true based on the evidence established by the court” or “cannot be considered defamatory.”
According to the judge, Samantha had failed to ‘first of all demonstrate that the texts are defamatory’.
The judge noted that Meghan’s comments about her childhood were “merely her opinion” that she did not have a close relationship with Samantha, her half-sister with whom she shares a father.
Judge Honeywell said Samantha’s claim that Meghan “suggested she was a liar and a fame seeker” was an “incorrect distortion” of what the duchess said.
The judge responded to Meghan’s statement that Samantha had changed her name from Rasmussen, her married name, back to Markle after the duchess began dating Harry, saying that “the gist of it was right.”
A judge dismissed Samantha Markle’s (pictured) defamation lawsuit against her sister Meghan in March
Meghan Markle appeared on CBS News on Sunday with her husband Prince Harry
She wrote: ‘That plaintiff used one surname and then the name Markle, shortly after the reports about defendant’s relationship with Prince Harry were published, is largely true, based on the evidence in the file, which the court has taken note of.’
One of the statements in Samantha’s claim was one made by Harry in the Netflix series, where he said: “Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this case is the number of British journalists who are engaging in and amplifying the hate and the lies.”
But Judge Honeywell said: ‘The inclusion of this statement in the complaint is astonishing and indicates haste, a misunderstanding of the law or a lack of diligence on the part of the plaintiff’s lawyer.
‘It is unclear how this statement could be defamatory towards the Claimant, as no reference is made to her.’
Judge Honeywell wrote in her opinion: “Plaintiff’s claims will be dismissed with prejudice as, to date, her third attempt to amend her complaint, she has failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation or libel by implication, either in the book Finding Freedom, the Netflix series Harry & Meghan, or the hour-long television interview of Defendant and her husband on CBS.”
Samantha had also planned to ask Kate Middleton for a witness statement before the Princess of Wales revealed she had cancer.
But she had stressed that Kate’s “recovery from cancer is a priority.”
“I think it’s important for everyone to know that my lawyer came forward with this before anyone knew about her health problems,” Samantha told former GB News presenter Dan Wootton.
On March 18, Samantha’s lawyer, Peter Ticktin, told Wootton during an episode of his online talk show Outspoken that he felt the princess would be able to provide useful testimony during the trial.
“I felt that Catherine might be able to shed some important light on what happened, because there is clearly something very wrong between those two,” he said.
Samantha filed her new, and potentially final, appeal just two days after Meghan celebrated her 43rd birthday.
Her lawyers will request an oral hearing, but no date has been confirmed.
They said: ‘Oral proceedings are desirable as the issues may require some clarification.’
The Duchess was hit again after appearing on CBS News Sunday morning and opening up about the suicidal thoughts and feelings she was exposed to as a working royal.
The Suits star first described such feelings in March 2021, when she told Oprah Winfrey that she “just didn’t want to be alive anymore” because of the abuse she endured online.
This time around, Markle told host Jane Pauley how she hopes her candor will help young people around the world deal with similar feelings after surfing the internet.