Meghan Markle scores legal victory in defamation lawsuit brought by half-sister Samantha Markle

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Meghan Markle scored a legal victory Tuesday as her years-long legal battle with half-sister Samantha Markle got here to a detailed.

Samantha’s defamation lawsuit, initially brought in opposition to Meghan in 2022, was dismissed with prejudice by Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell. The dismissal with prejudice means Samantha can not file the claims once more.

“[Samantha’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, her third try at amending her complaint, in either the book ‘Finding Freedom,’ the Netflix series ‘Harry & Meghan,’ or [Meghan] and her husband’s hour-long televised CBS Interview,” Honeywell wrote in court docket paperwork obtained by Fox News Digital. “As such, the Third Amended Complaint will be dismissed, with prejudice.”

A consultant for Meghan didn’t reply to Fox News Digital’s fast request for remark.

MEGHAN MARKLE’S SISTER SAMANTHA ACCUSES ROYAL OF PAINTING HER TO BE ‘FAME-SEEKING STRANGER’ IN REFILED LAWSUIT

Meghan Markle wears a black dress and a black hat at Queen Elizabeths funeral.

Meghan Markle received her legal battle with half-sister Samantha Markle Tuesday. (Samir Hussein)

Samantha had claimed she was defamed by Meghan in the course of the Duchess of Sussex’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey together with the Netflix collection “Harry & Meghan.”

“Meghan made these false claims, which are now believed to be true by the public, making it appear that Samantha is a fame-seeking stranger to Meghan,” Samantha’s lawyer, Jamie Alan Sasson, beforehand instructed Fox News Digital.

Samantha’s unique lawsuit was dismissed because the decide dominated the feedback made in the course of the Oprah interview by Meghan had been her opinion concerning the actress’s personal childhood.

Oprah interviews Prince Harry, Meghan Markle

Oprah Winfrey interviewed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for a particular in 2021 in which they revealed their struggles with royal life. (Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese through Getty Images)

“As a reasonable listener would understand it, Defendant merely expresses an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-siblings,” the decide wrote on the time.

“Thus, the Court finds that Defendant’s statement is not objectively verifiable or subject to empirical proof. Plaintiff cannot plausibly disprove Defendant’s opinion of her own childhood.”

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Samantha Markle speaks during an interview

Samantha Markle sued Meghan Markle for defamation in 2022. (7News Spotlight)

However, the royal’s half-sister was allowed to file an amended grievance. The claims had been brought once more in court docket April 13, 2023.

Samantha’s legal group insisted Meghan’s feedback in the course of the interview falsely portrayed the actress as an solely youngster who had no relationship together with her half-siblings. Additionally, Samantha emphasised that she did not change her final identify to Markle to “cash in” on the “Suits” actress’ fame as Meghan alleged in the course of the 2021 interview.

Samantha and her legal group believed the amended grievance would show “Meghan has defamed her sister and that the case will … be heard by a jury.”

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A split of Samantha and Meghan Markle

Samantha Markle’s claims in opposition to Meghan Markle had been dismissed by a decide. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/Ben Birchall/WPA Pool)

Peter Tickton, Samantha’s lawyer, revealed they plan to attraction the newest ruling.

“At the hearing on the motion to dismiss, we thought that the judge got it, as her questions as to what was in the complaint were on point, and it showed that she understood our arguments,” Tickton instructed Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately, it now appears that our logic was missed by the judge. 

“Of course, that is very upsetting. We had been involved that this might occur once we moved to disqualify Judge Honeywell, however to be frank, there isn’t any indication that she was biased, besides that her determination is mistaken. I can not say that she didn’t name it the way in which she noticed it, and that’s the drawback, as notion varies to suit preconceived notions.

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“We can be interesting this determination to the eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and hope that the three-judge panel sees it otherwise,” he added. “They will decide looking at the same complaint from the beginning, what they call ‘de novo,’ meaning to start the analysis all over again. We do not need to show that the judge misused her discretion, just that the judge did not read the complaint right as a matter of law. We have a decent chance to see a completely different outcome. So, don’t count us out, just delayed.”

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