Samantha Markle arrives in court in Florida as her half-sister Meghan tries to get a defamation case dismissed: judge indicates decision will happen in coming days

Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister was in court in Florida on Wednesday to try to secure a trial in her defamation case against the duchess.

Samantha Markle, 58, claims her 42-year-old half-sister defamed her in her 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and her 2022 Netflix series.

Samantha, whose father Thomas married Meghan’s mother Doria after she and her brother Thomas were born, claims in her interviews that the Duchess of Sussex suggested she is a “cheater,” a “deceitful opportunist” and a “charlatan.”

She is seeking more than $75,000 in damages, claiming Meghan’s comments caused her to lose sales of her book, The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister, and caused her professional and social harm.

Samantha Markle claims Meghan defamed her in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey

Meghan Markle and her half-sister are pictured together at Samantha’s graduation ceremony in 2008

Peter Ticktin, Samantha’s lawyer, claimed that his client – who suffers from multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair – has been harassed since the interviews with Meghan and is afraid to leave her home.

Michael Kump, Meghan’s attorney, said Samantha’s case was without merit and that none of Meghan’s statements were defamatory.

“This has always been a lawsuit in search of a viable claim,” said Kump, who also represents the Kardashian family.

“The case failed because it directly violates defamation law and the First Amendment.”

The case was initially filed in March 2022 and dismissed in March this year.

The judge ruled in March that Meghan was simply “expressing an opinion about her youth and her relationship with her half-sister.”

Samantha is now trying again to take the case to court in Florida.

Judge Charlene Honeywell, who is overseeing the case, is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to prosecute the case.

Samantha Markle and Meghan share the same father, Thomas Markle. He married Doria Ragland in 1979

Samantha Markle has frequently appeared on television shows to talk about her half-sister

Samantha Markle told reporters outside court that she was “optimistic” about the prospects of a trial.

“I think the truth stands alone, so I’m optimistic and grateful that we have a justice system that gives us the opportunity to present the facts,” she said. The American sun.

She said she was hurt by Meghan claiming they weren’t close as children told Fox 13: ‘People change, they have agendas, there are other things that influence their lives. It doesn’t change reality.’

Samantha, who has appeared regularly on television and in the newspapers since Meghan first emerged as Prince Harry’s girlfriend, said her book was not a “tell-all story”.

“Anyone who’s read my book knows it’s more of a sociological book about social labels,” she told The US Sun.

“The title wasn’t actually a joke on her (Meghan), it was a mockery of social labels because the media previously called her ‘Princess Pushy’.”