Meghan Markle's Sister Continues Defamation Lawsuit Against Prince Harry's Wife With New Appeal

Meghan Markle's legal battle with Samantha Markle may not be over as the Duchess of Sussex's estranged half-sister is pushing forward with an appeal.

Samantha's lawyers filed an appeal against a judge's decision to throw out her defamation lawsuit against Meghan in March, GB News reported.

Last month, a Florida judge ruled that Samantha "failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation or defamation-by-implication" in Meghan and Prince Harry's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.

The judge also found no comments in the Sussexes' Netflix docuseries, "Meghan & Harry," and royal author Omid Scobie's "Finding Freedom" that merited defamation.

The author's lawsuit against the former "Suits" star was dismissed with prejudice, which means Samantha cannot simply level her claim again.

However, Samantha's attorneys are now trying to overturn that ruling.

"Notice is hereby given that the Plaintiff, Samantha M. Markle, by and through her undersigned counsel, appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from the Order Granting Defendants, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Motion to Dismiss entered by the Honorable Charlene Edwards Honeywell on March 12, 2024," read a court filing cited by GB News.

The half-sisters' legal battle began in March 2022 when Samantha sued Meghan for $75,000 for allegedly defaming her with "false and malicious statements" during the Oprah interview.

These statements included Meghan's alleged suggestions that she grew up as an "only child" and that Samantha changed her name back to Markle after she began dating Prince Harry to "cash in on her newfound fame."

Samantha -- who is Meghan's half-sister from their dad Thomas' first marriage -- also claimed that the Duchess of Sussex allegedly lied about her childhood to pursue a "false rags-to-royalty narrative."

At the time, Meghan's lawyers fired back at the lawsuit, calling it "meritless" and saying it had "no place" in any court.

"Courts are not equipped to adjudicate the legitimacy of a person's feelings about their childhood and relationships. Nor should they be," the duchess' attorneys said in June 2022 court documents obtained by Page Six.

As part of her attempt to continue her defamation lawsuit, Samantha said in an interview with former GB News host Dan Wootton that she plans to ask Kate Middleton for a witness statement.

However, the "Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister" author emphasized that the Princess of Wales' cancer "recovery is a priority."

"I think it's important everyone know that this was out there by my attorney before anyone was aware of her health challenges," Samantha explained.

She was referring to her lawyer Peter Ticktin's statement on Wootton's talk show "Outspoken" on March 18 about potentially having Middleton provide a deposition amid rumors of her strained relationship with Meghan.

"I felt that Catherine might have some very important light to shed on what had occurred because obviously something is really really wrong between these two," Ticktin told Wootton, referring to Middleton and Meghan.

Just days after the lawyer made the comment, Prince William's wife revealed in a video message that she was diagnosed with cancer and had started undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

Middleton has not been seen publicly since the March 22 announcement or shared any further updates about her condition.

However, according to The Telegraph, Queen Camilla talked about Middleton's feelings while greeting well-wishers during a royal engagement on March 27.

King Charles' wife reportedly said, "I know Kate is thrilled by all the kind wishes and support."

Tags

Meghan Markle, Samantha Markle, Kate Middleton