Meghan Markle faces new legal battle as half-sister Samantha heads to court again
The Duchess of Sussex emerged victorious in early 2023 after Samantha had sued her in federal court in Florida for allegedly making 'demonstrably false and malicious statements' about her to a world audience during a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Samantha, 60, filed the $75,000 lawsuit after the 'Suits' alum, 44, told Winfrey that she grew up as an only child during her and Prince Harry's bombshell March 2021 interview.
Advertisement
5 Meghan Markle is gearing up for yet another legal bout with her half-sister.
GC Images
Samantha, who shares the same dad as the duchess, claimed the comments subjected her to 'humiliation and hatred.'
At the time, a judge at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal in Atlanta, Ga., had scheduled the case for the week commencing August 11.
Advertisement
However, a recent court filing shows the hearing will now take place on September 9 in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Post has reached out to Meghan's reps for comment.
Prior to her 2023 filing, Samantha, 60, had previously filed her libel lawsuit against Meghan in late 2022 — two years after the Sussexes quit royal life and moved to the US.
5 Samantha had sued the Duchess of Sussex over revelations made in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Advertisement
At the time, Meghan's legal team had dismissed her half-sister's claims, saying they would 'give it [the case] the minimum attention necessary, which is all it deserves.'
Their estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., said in March 2022 that he was willing to testify in Samantha's case.
Samantha suffered a major blow the following year after a Florida judge dismissed her lawsuit against the As Ever founder, saying Meghan's remarks were opinions and 'not capable of being proved false.'
5 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview in March 2021.
ZUMAPRESS.com
Advertisement
'As a reasonable listener would understand it, Defendant merely expresses an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-siblings,' US District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell wrote in her order.
Samantha also wanted the former actress to take back allegations she made against the royal family.
Follow The Post's royal family live blog for the latest pics, news, exclusive details and more
Meghan's lawyer, Michael Kump, however, said Samantha had no grounds to sue for defamation. He added that the former working royal has a right to voice opinions 'and even criticize' under the First Amendment.
The estranged half-sisters had been at odds for years before the infamous interview.
5 Samantha claimed that Meghan made 'demonstrably false and malicious statements' about her to a world audience.
CBS
Meghan has repeatedly accused Samantha and their father, who earlier this year moved to the Philippines, of selling stories to the British tabloids.
For her part, Samantha has continued to take shots at the duchess and brother-in-law Prince Harry as the couple continues putting out documentaries and memories.
Advertisement
The duo also have a different recollection of their closeness growing up.
Meghan previously asserted that she never had a relationship with Samantha and even said in her 2022 Netflix docuseries, 'Harry & Meghan,' that her half-sister has fabricated how close they are.
5 Their estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., said in March 2022 that he was willing to testify in Samantha's case.
@tauerbach/Twitter
Advertisement
'I don't know your middle name. I don't know your birthday,' she said of Samantha. 'You're telling these people you raised me, and you coined me Princess Pushy? I hadn't had a fallout with her. We didn't have a closeness to be able to have that. And I wanted a sister.'
What's more, the mom of two claimed she was in her early 20s the last time she saw Samantha.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
26 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
A smorgasbord of US history served a la carte
More than 400 attendees will arrive from 27 states, setting a record for participation since the event began in 2014. To scholars, tourism officials, and others in the history world, History Camp is just one example of growing public interest in the past, particularly during the ongoing kickoff of an eight-year commemoration of the Revolution. Members of the William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps performed in Colonial attire outside the Paul Revere House in Boston's North End on April 18 during festivities marking the 250th anniversary of Revere's midnight ride. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Advertisement And a video program filmed at Old North Church for third-to-fifth-graders, centered on the mystery of who hung its famous lanterns, reached nearly 8,000 students in 39 states in the 2024-25 school year, more than double the previous year, said Nikki Stewart, executive director of Old North Illuminated, which operates and interprets the historic site. Advertisement 'There is a market for history — something we in the academy have done our best to stifle,' said Robert Allison, a Suffolk University history professor and chair of 'People are genuinely curious about the past and want to know about people who lived in a tumultuous and fractious time — uncertain about the future, making choices for their and their children's lives — and want to see the places where these things happened,' Allison said. Unlike many history conferences, History Camp's organizers say, the gathering shuns the stodginess that sometimes cloaks formal academic get-togethers. Presenters at History Camp don't need a PhD after their names, academic language is discouraged, and the historically curious from a plethora of professions — attorneys, retired military officers, museum officials, and burgeoning novelists — are welcome to declaim on any topic that fascinates them to an audience of anyone who cares to listen. 'What History Camp looks for in presenters is the passion,' said Rebecca Flynt, the Texas author of 'American Harlot,' who will be discussing Alexander Hamilton's scandalous affair with Maria Reynolds. 'I have not run into anything else like History Camp. Most academic conferences are not open to people like me,' said Flynt, who has an undergraduate degree, but not in history. To Wright, who lives in an 18th-century house, history can be a 360-degree experience of learning, touring, hobnobbing with experts, and interacting with other armchair amateurs. Advertisement Colonial militia fired back at the advancing British troops on Lexington Battle Green during the reenactment of the first battle of the American Revolution held April 19. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff 'If you're the person in your group who is really fascinated with history, where do you go to share your passion?' said Wright, 65, a native of Des Moines. 'The one common denominator we have is a deep interest and deep appreciation for our nation's history.' Unsurprisingly, the Revolution will have a star turn at History Camp, from discussions about why the war began in 1775, to battlefield archeology at Saratoga, N.Y., to General George Washington's ability to hold the Continental Army together during its brutal winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pa. Victoria Underhill, 41, of Poolesville, Md., is hooked. 'I love to get behind the scenes with like-minded people, not just the fussy academic types. You learn from each other,' said Underhill, who has attended nearly every History Camp since 2017. The camp falls under the umbrella of Pursuit of History, a national nonprofit organization that will operate the two-day Revolutionary tour this week. Limited to 40 time-travelers led by Newton author J.L. Bell, the tour will explore the siege and liberation of Boston, including visits to the sites of rebel fortifications in Somerville and Roxbury. Tammy Minoski of Beachwood, Ohio, entered a room to see one of the many musket ball holes from the British attack on Colonial militia in the Jason Russell House on April 19, 1775, during a tour given by Pursuit of History last April. Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe Despite their hefty bill, Underhill said, the tours are a fascinating chance to dig behind the scenes. 'I'll do any of them if I don't have a pre-commitment,' said Underhill, who joined an earlier tour in Santa Fe. Pursuit of History is strictly apolitical, Wright said, and funded entirely through private, individual donations with no government funding. Earlier this year, Bell led a small band of the historically curious through Lexington, Concord, and along the trail of the bloody British retreat to Boston following the 'shot heard 'round the world.' Advertisement At one stop in Lexington, they trudged up Belfry Hill to view a replica of the bell tower that warned the town's militia of the British advance on April 19, 1775. They did it in the rain. Cheerfully. Stepping carefully. And listening to sound bites of local history connected with the start of the Revolutionary War. The climb was the dirty work. Much of that tour served up the Revolution with a touch of glam — an elegant dinner, deep-dive lectures, a chauffeured minibus, guided tours. Susan Johnson of Phoenix, right, listened to descriptions of artifacts such as a musket and ammunition pouch that a Redcoat lost during the fighting on April 19, 1775, on display at the Jason Russell House during the Pursuit of History tour. Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe 'It was just fascinating to learn part of the story that goes beyond 'the British are coming,' ' said Jim O'Shaughnessy of Wilbraham. Wright said he is developing an ambitious series of Revolutionary tours to explore other milestones of the rebellion through the 250th anniversary of the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended the war. 'It was a long slog after the Declaration,' Wright said. Pursuit of History is developing tours in Philadelphia; Trenton, N.J.; Saratoga, N.Y.; Valley Forge, Pa.; and Yorktown, Va. Potential offerings include, among others, Charleston, S.C.; Annapolis, Md.; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and potentially Fort Stanwix, N.Y., near upstate Utica, to shine a light on the Revolution in the overlooked interior. But that's for another time. At History Camp Boston, presentations on other eras are available, such as the forgotten story of NASA's electronics research center in Cambridge, to the 19th-century 'Fenian invasion' of Canada by Irish nationalists. Wright draws his historical line at Richard Nixon's presidency, however, meaning that more current, potentially divisive topics can't be found. 'I chose the Nixon administration because it gets us to Vietnam and Watergate, and discussions about it today can be more objective,' Wright said. Advertisement 'I've never had a political agenda or a social agenda or anything like that' with History Camp, he said. 'I firmly believe that more people knowing more about history is an inherently good thing.' More than 400 campers seem inclined to agree. Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘Vulture' is a provocative satire about a clueless scoop seeker in Gaza
'Doctor Strangelove,' 'Catch-22,' and 'M*A*S*H' collide in British journalist Phoebe Greenwood's blistering debut novel, 'Vulture,' a darkly comic, searing satire grounded in historic politics, suffused with incipient journalism and imbued with self-aggrandizement. Dominoes fall quickly and hard for 33-year-old budding reporter Sara Byrne, assigned as a freelance stringer by the fictional London Tribune to cover the 2012 Gaza War. She is ambitious and clueless. A nepo baby, she's certain a scoop will make her career and bring her out of the shadow of her recently deceased father, Bill, a foreign affairs writer considered a titan among the giants of Fleet Street. She finds herself ensconced in all-expenses-paid headquarters for foreign correspondents like her: the Beach, Gaza's four-star 'nice hotel,' an 'oasis of humanity in a blighted desert' featuring a room with uninterrupted sea views and shrimps in a clay pot. Observing the consequences of conflict, Sara soon realizes she is embedded in her own emotional war zone. The Beach is a convenient location for mingling, networking and seeking contacts through a fixer, someone essential for foreign correspondents. Sara's fixer is Nasser. He introduces her to an aged, grieving Palestinian widower who has lost his whole family in a bombing, but she doesn't see any point in even being in Gaza if the only story 'was sad Mohammeds talking about their dead kids and dead wives and neighbors and so forth.' She dismisses ongoing attacks, thinking everything is 'getting a bit samey.' A morgue visit elicits disinterest and little more than a body count, with Sara wondering if 'ten makes a massacre. I only counted six.' In a crowd of dead, limp bodies, she spots a sobbing Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and exclaims, 'What good is a crying photographer to anyone?' Heartless, she wants a bigger story, something that would put her byline on the front page. If Nasser can't get her into Hamas' underground tunnels 'where all the men running the war were hiding with their rockets,' then she would have to find someone who could. That someone appears to be Fadi, part of the fixer culture. He wore 'skin-tight black jeans and a black t-shirt with I Heart Brooklyn written on it in red, loopy letters' and 'stank of aftershave that could easily have been his sister's perfume and smoked cigarettes greedily.' His alluring credentials include an uncle he claims is a top fighter in the resistance who can get Sara a meet and greet with the leader of the Al-Yasser Front. Fadi promises a photo shoot with black balaclavas, guns and black flags. Foolhardily, defying Nasser's caution, Sara offers Fadi $1,000 for an excursion into the 'terror tunnels,' certain this will give her a proper story to write rather than what she terms 'monkey journalism.' Instead, after several delays and setbacks, she finds herself involved in an excruciatingly senseless death when the Beach's restaurant is bombed. Greenwood's graphic details are vivid and disturbing, from screaming that is 'a high unnatural wail that could shrivel souls like salted slugs' to air 'powdered with concrete and sulfur.' With dead bodies scattered around her, Sara, her hands dripping a trail of blood, retreats to her room, feeling responsible for one particularly shocking death. A series of flashbacks sprinkled throughout the novel highlight the deep psychological wounds Sara brings to her wartime experience. They underscore the guilt she carries from traumatic relationships with her father, mother and an adulterous affair. She believes she can never match her father's success as a reporter and on the first anniversary of his death, instead of visiting his grave, her mother takes her to a Sloane Square department store (because that's where she was taken as a child to buy shoes). Her clandestine involvement with her father's close friend and literary agent, whose wife is dying of cancer, implodes, leaving her a bitter 'other woman' living her own soap opera. It complicates a sexual encounter with an Italian cohort in Gaza. One of those flashback chapters, 'The Cradle of Civilization,' unravels the ironic, ravaging narcissistic, perhaps psychopathic implications of the title. Like the bird of prey seeking carrion, a foreign correspondent is characterized as a misery merchant or conflict cowboy, making a living from death and disaster. Even as their function is to give voice to the voiceless, Greenwood writes, their assignment is to 'stand in the middle of something,' to understand (from the Old English, understanden) and listen. As they do so, like Sara, seeking a 'defining moment' they might morph into news cannibals. And then there are the other birds. They are scattered throughout the novel. Keep an eye on them. Sara does. The literal ones and the magical, metaphorical ones. The first sighting is a simple one, easily dismissed. A manky bird on her balcony jolts Sara from semi-wakefulness right after she's had a dream of her dying father. Its habitual appearance becomes disconcerting. Is it just a bird or is it a harbinger of doom and death? She begins to think of it as a 'deranged stalker,' a 'horrifying, tapping shitting bird,' terrorizing her. Eventually, Sara, her health deteriorating from what appears as an undiagnosed illness, begins to hallucinate, seeing the bird's 'heart beating visibly under its feathered ribs, its metallic purple face,' culminating in believing the bird has transmogrified into a talking pigeon that is her father. Greenwood's stinging, salient novel remains relevant (the more things change, the more they stay the same), excoriating those who make a business of war whether it's public or personal. As the owner of the Beach observes: 'War may be hell but it's one hell of an employer.' 'Vulture' is a provocative, uncompromising powerhouse of a read. Papinchak, a former university English professor, is an award-winning book critic in the Los Angeles area.
Tom's Guide
7 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Netflix is about to lose 7 shows — stream them before they're gone
Netflix regularly loses shows from its deep content library. Granted, the streaming service is also adding new ones nearly every day, and adds far more in a month than it loses — just look at the list of everything new on Netflix this August. But you still need to keep an eye out for when a favorite show or that acclaimed series you've been meaning to watch might be leaving Netflix. This month, the time to start keeping an eye out for what's leaving Netflix is right now. Between Aug. 15 and Aug. 19, the streaming service is going to remove seven shows from its library, and these shows aren't slouches either. "Ballers" was a big hit for HBO, and I enjoyed its first season — it's gone on Aug. 15, so you'll want to start binge-watching its five seasons now. Love a British crime drama like "MobLand"? Then you'll want to check out the acclaimed first two seasons of "Gangs of London" before the show goes back to being just on AMC Plus. Here are all seven shows that Netflix is about to lose this month, and why each one is worth watching before it's gone. "Ballers" stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Spencer Strasmore, a former NFL player who has moved on to the world of financial management. Of course, the easiest clients for him to find are former NFL players, including mercurial wide receiver Ricky Jerret (John David Washington). This show is definitely more "Entourage" than "Any Given Sunday," and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't rather be watching either of those over this HBO series. By the end of season 5, I was officially hate-watching the show, committed to seeing it through to the end. That said, the first season of the show was genuinely good, especially ther performances of Washington as Jerret, Omar Miller as lineman Charles Greane and Rob Corddry as Spencer's partner in crime, Joe Krutel. If you just want a fun show with some sizzle, there are worse things to watch. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Watch "Ballers" on Netflix until August 15 "Unreal" stars Shiri Appleby as Rachel Goldberg, a young reality show producer. She was a producer on the reality dating show "Everlasting" until she had a meltdown during the filming of a season finale. Now, she's back, rehired by her boss, Quinn (Constance Zimmer), much to the surprise of everyone on the show. Now, Rachel has to balance rebuilding her reputation, keeping the show as salacious as ever, and working alongside a rival producer, Shia (Aline Elasmar), and Rachel's cameraman ex-boyfriend Jeremy (Josh Kelly), who already moved on to someone else. This show got rave reviews across its first three seasons, when it aired on Lifetime. Its fourth and final season moved to Hulu and admittedly seems to be a forgettable one based on its 46% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences still liked it. The best endorsement I've seen for "Unreal" came from Entertainment Weekly's Dalene Rovenstine after the series premiere aired. "If you love 'The Bachelor,'" she wrote, "you're going to like 'UnREAL.' If you hate 'The Bachelor,' you're going to like 'UnREAL.' So basically, Lifetime has done it: They've found the perfect show for everyone." Watch "Unreal" on Netflix until August 19 With a title like "Kevin Can F**k Himself," you'd assume this show might be about a guy named, well, Kevin. But you'd be wrong, because it's really about Kevin's wife Allison (Annie Murphy), who's had about enough of being in an unhappy marriage with Kevin. To be fair, she's right to be fed up. Kevin is the worst — an immature narcissist whose behavior borders on domestic abuse. But what causes her to snap is when she learns from Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden), the sister of Kevin's best friend and one of her and Kevin's neighbors, that Kevin had secretly drained their savings account. What really sets this show apart is how it treats its portrayal of Allisons's life. When she's with Kevin, the show presents itself as a multi-cam sitcom complete with canned laughter. But when she's away from her awful husband and on her path of self-discovery, the show transitions to a single-camera comedy-drama. "Kevin Can F**k Himself" is worth checking out for this masterful technique alone, and at just 16 episodes, it's a quick binge-watch. Watch "Kevin Can F**k Himself" on Netflix until August 19 If you liked the "MobLand" season finale and can't wait for "MobLand" season 2, let "Gangs of London" tide you over while you wait. This crime thriller series takes its name from the 2006 video game of the same name, which was a spin-off from The Getaway video game franchise. The series centers around the Wallace crime family, which had been led by Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) until his shocking death at the beginning of the show. This throws the London criminal underworld into chaos, with Finn's son Sean (Joe Cole) and widow (Michelle Fairley) trying to keep the Wallace criminal enterprise intact. Like with "MobLand" and the British crime movies that "Gangs of London" draws inspiration from, there's no shortage of violence in this show, so much so that critics and audiences dinged the second season for being too violent. Which, given that "Havoc" director Gareth Evans created this show, maybe that shouldn't be a surprise. But season 1 received near universal acclaim, and is worth watching before it's gone from Netflix. Watch "Gangs of London on Netflix until August 19 In "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln stars as Rick Grimes, a Georgia sheriff's deputy who leads a group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse. By the end of his time in the show, he became the leader of the Alexandria Safe-Zone, but in "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" he's been conscripted into the Civic Republic Military (CRM), potentially the most powerful military left on Earth. However, despite being ostensibly held captive by this powerful force, nothing is going to stop him from trying to reunite with his wife, Michonne (Danai Gurira), a katana-wielding killing machine who has been searching for Rick since season 10 of "The Walking Dead." As the old saying goes, "All's fair in love and war," and this six-episode miniseries has plenty of both. So whether you're a "Walking Dead" fanatic or just want a bingeable drama, "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" is a must-watch before it leaves Netflix this month. Watch "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" on Netflix until August 19 "The Boys" wasn't Seth Rogen's first foray into a comic book adaptation. Years before and his creative partner Evan Goldberg would serve as executive producers on the Prime Video superhero show based on the iconic Garth Ennis comic, they developed "Preacher" for AMC, based on another beloved Ennis comic series. For those who missed the show, "Preacher" stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher with a penchant for hard-drinking and chain-smoking. During a crisis of faith, he becomes infused with an extraordinary power called Genesis, and it gives him some serious superpowers. It also convinces him to go find God (literally) and make God answer for all He's done wrong. Jesse won't be going alone though. He's bringing his violent ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Ruth Negga), and his new vampire friend from Ireland, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun). If you love an irreverent superhero show like "The Boys," then definitely check out "Preacher" before it leaves Netflix. Watch "Preacher" on Netflix until August 19 I'll freely admit, "Into the Badlands" is the one show on this list I had never even heard of before. But after watching the trailer and reading more about the martial arts drama, I'm bummed I missed it and will need to check it out before it leaves Netflix for good. "Into the Badlands" stars Daniel Wu as Sunny. He exists 500 years in the future, where war has turned Earth into a post-apocalyptic world. Sunny serves as a chief warrior to the Badlands' most powerful baron, Quinn (Marton Csokas). The world building in this show sounds incredible. "Into the Badlands" exists in a world largely, but not entirely, devoid of technology, where barons control vital resources and rule over a caste system that includes "cogs" (slaves), "dolls" (prostitutes) and "clippers" (warriors). If you're someone like me who loves a sci-fi or fantasy show with deep lore to explore, then "Into the Badlands" might be the show to prioritize binge-watching before it's gone. Watch "Into the Badlands" on Netflix until August 19 Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately:
