Defamation Case Against Meghan Markle By Half-Sister Dismissed By US Judge

A US judge threw out a defamation lawsuit filed against Meghan Markle by her half-sister, Samantha Markle. Samantha claimed Meghan's comments in a Netflix documentary and an interview with Oprah Winfrey defamed her, BBC reported.

The judge, Charlene Edwards Honeywell, ruled that Meghan's statements were either opinions, mostly accurate or didn't damage Samantha's reputation believably. Importantly, the case was dismissed permanently, meaning Samantha can't sue again over the same claims.

One point of contention was Samantha's claim that Meghan Markle said she only changed her last name back to Markle after Meghan started dating Prince Harry. However, the judge noted that Samantha used the last name Rasmussen in 2016 and then switched to Markle two months later, around the time news of Meghan's royal connection became public.

But in her ruling, Judge Honeywell said, "The court has taken notice of the fact that [Samantha] used the surname Rasmussen in September 2016 and Markle two months later, soon after [Meghan's] royal relationship was first reported.

"Therefore, the gist of the statement - that [Samantha] switched to her family name a short time after it was reported [Meghan] was involved with Prince Harry - is true."

Another point of contention was Meghan's description of their childhood bond. Meghan Markle told Oprah, "I grew up as an only child, which everyone who grew up around me knows," implying they weren't close.  However, the judge sided with Meghan, considering this an opinion about their relationship.

This dismissal adds another layer to the ongoing legal battle.  This was actually Samantha's third attempt to sue Meghan based on defamation. Previously, in 2022, she claimed Meghan spread lies by contributing to an unauthorized biography and by discussing their relationship on television.  The judge dismissed that case too, finding Meghan couldn't be responsible for the book's content.