A Florida judge has set a trial date for Samantha Markle’s defamation case against her half-sister Meghan, demanding the case be heard “quickly”.
Samantha Markle, 57, is suing her half-sister Meghan for damages, claiming Meghan defamed and embarrassed her by saying in her Oprah interview that she grew up as an “only child.”
She claims the Duchess of Sussex, 41, has peddled a rags-to-riches story and also comments in Finding Freedom, the book by Meghan’s close friend Omid Scobie.
Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has now ordered both sides to make submissions quickly, adding that she wants to do it “cost-effectively”.
The Duchess of Sussex’s team previously moved for the defamation case to be dismissed, claiming it was a “feeling” and not a “fact” that she grew up as an “only child”.
Samantha says the “false” statement not only undermined everything she had previously said about a connection to Meghan as her half-sister, but also humiliated her and caused her grief.
She is also suing over comments made about her in Finding Freedom, a book that Meghan and Harry advised and informed but did not write.
A judge has now dismissed Meghan’s attempt to dismiss her sister’s defamation lawsuit and set a timeline for the hearing. Samantha claims Meghan falsely claimed she was an “only child” during an interview with Oprah.
The Duchess of Sussex’s team previously moved for the defamation case to be dismissed, claiming it was a “feeling” and not a “fact” that she grew up as an “only child”. But Samantha, pictured with her half-sister Meghan Markle at her graduation in 2008, and her attorneys say they have “firm evidence.”
Samantha claims Meghan lied when she claimed she “essentially rose out of virtual poverty” and had to take low-paying jobs from the age of 13 to “make ends meet”.
Meghan claims she cannot be held liable for either, and in a court case she claims growing up as an only child was her opinion and not a ‘fact’.
Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell, pictured, has now ordered both sides to make quick submissions and set a possible October 2023 trial date
She also says that as she is not the author or editor of Finding Freedom, she should not be held responsible for the content.
But Judge Honeywell is allowing it, and the couple must agree on a mediator by the end of September and complete the discovery by May next year.
If they fail to settle or resolve the case through mediation, a hearing date was set for October 2, 2023, which would last no longer than five days.
In earlier court documents, Meghan dismissed Samantha’s complaints about information in Finding Freedom, a book by Omid Scobie, saying she could not be held responsible because she did not write the book.
Samantha, the daughter of Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, claims the Duchess of Sussex launched a “premeditious campaign to tarnish her and her father’s reputation”.
Samantha believed her sister was trying to ruin her credibility so “they couldn’t interfere or contradict the false narrative and fairytale life story that the defendant invented.”
The Duchess of Sussex’s lawyers previously said that Meghan’s statement that she “grew up as an only child” cannot be wrong as it is a “textbook example of a subjective statement of how a person feels about their childhood”.
Samantha also hits at the book Finding Freedom, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, which she describes as her sister’s “fairytale life story” and a “book of lies.”
She claims her sister tried to ruin her credibility so “they couldn’t interfere or contradict the false narrative and fairytale life story that the defendant fabricated.”
She also claims Meghan lied when she claimed she “essentially rose out of virtual poverty” and had to take low-paying jobs from the age of 13 to “make ends meet”.
Meanwhile, Samantha launched an amazing broadside against her sister’s boyfriend and biographer, Omid Scobie, when she blasted Finding Freedom as “a book of lies.”
Meghan’s lawyer has previously hit back at the lawsuit, claiming it was “unfounded” and they were giving it “the minimum amount of attention required”. Scobie also rejected the claims.
The sisters are believed to have last seen each other in 2008, but they have clashed over versions of their childhoods in recent years.
Meghan’s lawyers claim that since she is not the author or editor of Finding Freedom, she should not be held responsible for its content
If they fail to settle or resolve the case through mediation, a hearing date was set for October 2, 2023, which would last no longer than five days. Pictured: Meghan with her father Thomas Markle, who she is also estranged from
Samantha published a book about her sister last year called The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister: A Memoir, Part One
Samantha’s troubled relationship with Meghan exploded in public after the announcement of her sister’s engagement to Prince Harry in 2017.
She was quoted by journalists as saying “The Queen would be appalled” and calling her a “Ducha**” on Twitter.
She gave numerous interviews attacking the Duchess, but has since backed down and complimented her.
Samantha published a book about her sister last year called The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister: A Memoir, Part One.
It reveals details of the Markles’ upbringing, including the rivalry when their father was still married to Doria Ragland, the actress’ mother.
But Samantha also writes about her adoration for Meghan as a baby, describing the child as “biracial, beautiful, and the color of both a peach and a rose.”