Meghan Markle‘s half-sister Samantha Markle wants her to pay for her alleged lies.
The 58-year-old has been at loggerheads with Meghan for almost six years, accusing the latter of telling lies about her in interviews and even her Netflix series with her husband, Prince Harry.
However, things took a turn when Samantha sued Meghan over comments she made when Oprah Winfrey interviewed her and passages from the biography, “Finding Freedom.” Although the mother-of-two has applied to have the case thrown out, the presiding judge has made a ruling that might require her to appear in court.
Samantha Markle’s Lawsuit Claims Meghan Markle Wants To Destroy Her Reputation
Samantha has made it clear that she would no longer accept half-truths and outright lies from family members, suing Meghan for $75,000. The “Matlock” actress claims include defamation and injurious falsehood.
Per court documents filed last Friday and obtained by ET, Samantha claimed her filing was due to “defamation based on demonstrably false and malicious statements made by her half-sister to a worldwide audience.”
The suit alleged that the Duchess “published and disseminated false and malicious statements” about Samantha in “Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family” by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.
Samantha further reduced Meghan’s comments about her as “lies designed to destroy [Samantha’s] reputation and which have subjected [her] to humiliation, shame, and hatred on a worldwide scale.”
She also accused her younger half-sister of leading “the campaign to defame and destroy her sister’s and her Father’s reputation and credibility” to “preserve and promote the false ‘rags-to-royalty’ narrative [the] Defendant had fabricated about her life to the Royal Family and the worldwide media.”
The actress then went on to deny Meghan’s assertions that they did not spend much time together while growing up. While Samantha has asked for a trial by jury in addition to getting a $75,000 payday, Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has yet to decide on it.
However, she has said that discovery, the process through which evidence is gathered and shared by the defense and prosecution, must continue until then. This means that Samatha’s lawyers will question Meghan and Harry before July if the case continues. Referring to the Duchess’s request to delay discovery and complete dismissal, Honeywell said:
“Although a preliminary peek at the Motion to Dismiss suggests that some of the claims against her may be ripe for dismissal, the review does not reveal, at this time, a clear indication that the Court will dismiss the action in its entirety. Thus, Defendant Markle does not satisfy the high standard required to stay discovery pending the resolution of a dispositive motion.”
A hearing on Meghan’s dismissal application has been set for February 15.
Samantha Accuses Meghan Of Elder Abuse Amid Their Dad’s Health Problem
The Blast reported the unfolding drama within the Markle clan in May 2022 after its patriarch, Thomas, was hospitalized for stroke-like symptoms. The retired TV lighting director was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance after suffering what seemed to be a stroke.
The incident, which ensued around 9:30 p.m. on May 23, was so bad that he could not recount what happened to first responders. In the wake of the health scare, Samantha spoke out about Meghan’s lack of involvement, empathy, and assistance toward their father. She began by sharing an update on her dad’s health, stating:
“He’s doing better. He’s in good spirits, and so… it’s still hard for me to talk about, because he’s been through so much. Two heart attacks, a pandemic, a stroke. I don’t think he saw it coming .”
When asked by the interviewer if “the family or Thomas or you or your brother have heard from either Meghan or Harry” since their dad’s emergency hospitalization, Samantha replied:
“No, no, and let me speak to something very important. My father has a huge heart, and even though he was not in the wrong… she [Meghan] had a moral obligation, in my opinion, to step forward at any time.”
She added that Meghan’s utter disregard of Thomas, which included “never reaching out, never advocating for him through two heart attacks, and a pandemic,” was negligent. Samantha further claimed it was “elder abuse” because her sister “had to see what’s happening.”
