Meghan Markle's legal woes with half-sister over her comments continue, fresh defamation suit to be heard in 2024

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle found herself in trouble again earlier this year when her half-sister Samantha sued her for defamation over her comments on Netflix’s documentary and an interview she gave to Oprah Winfrey. Markle said she grew as the only child and didn’t share much of a relationship with Samantha.

A federal court in Florida has scheduled the trial for November 4, 2024, and the trial is expected to last for a period of over five days. Samantha is seeking $75,000 in damages, and has claimed the comments has damaged her reputation in the updated lawsuit.

What happened earlier?

The US District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell threw the earlier suit aside and cited the comments were personal opinions and ‘not capable of being proven false’.

The sibling rivalry

The siblings’ tumultuous relationship originally made headlines ahead of Meghan and Harry’s wedding in May 2018. Two years later, the couple announced that they were stepping back from their duties as working members of the royal family. In February 2021, they confirmed their decision to not return to their senior roles.

Samantha on Harry and Meghan’s relationship

The ongoing feud between the two siblings dates back to the early days of Meghan’s relationship with Harry when Samantha wasted no time in criticizing the Duchess. A court filing seen by Newsweek read: “Plaintiff Samantha Markle, and Defendant Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, by and through their respective undersigned counsel of record, hereby request that the Court hold oral argument in connection with Defendant’s pending Motion to Dismiss the Third Amended Complaint, in light of the extensive briefing by the parties. Counsel estimates a total of 60 minutes for oral argument.”