Another tentative trial date has been set in Samantha Markle’s defamation lawsuit against her estranged half-sister Meghan, although the case could still be dismissed or settled before next year.
A federal judge in Florida scheduled the trial to begin Nov. 4, 2024, and was expected to last about five days, according to legal documents filed earlier this month.
The new date is the result of an amended lawsuit filed by Samantha when her original defamation case against the Duchess of Sussex was dismissed earlier this year.
Samantha, 58, claims Meghan, 42, defamed her when she told Oprah during an explosive interview with Prince Harry in 2021 that she “grew up as an only child” and did not have much of a relationship with Samantha, claims the amended complaint.
The updated lawsuit claims that Meghan’s statements damaged Samantha’s reputation and the credibility of the book the older sister wrote titled “Princess Pushy’s Sister’s Diary, Part 1,” which details the half-siblings’ relationship when they were younger.
Samantha is seeking $75,000 in damages.
Markle is accused of defaming her half-sister in a 2021 interview with Orpah. Evan Agostini/Invisión/AP
The initial legal action brought against Meghan in March 2022 was dismissed when U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell wrote in her order that Meghan’s comments were opinions and “cannot be shown to be false.”
Attorneys for both sides argued before Judge Honeywell earlier this month over whether the case linked to the amended complaint should move forward.
Peter Ticktin, Samantha’s attorney, told Newsweek that he is confident the case will not be dismissed this time.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. VIA REUTERS
“Once I explained how and why Meghan did what she did, to discourage readers from reading Samantha’s book, titled ‘Princess Pushy,’ the whole case made more sense,” he said.
Speaking to reporters outside court, Samantha, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, said she was “optimistic” about her case.
Meghan’s lawyer, Michael Kump, called Samantha’s case baseless.
“This has always been a lawsuit looking for a viable claim,” Klump said. “The case has failed because it clashes head-on with defamation law and the First Amendment.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn