Although the dismissal was made with prejudice, barring an easy refiling of the lawsuit, Samantha's legal team is now seeking to reverse this decision. A recent filing reviewed by Newsweek reveals that Samantha M. Markle, through her legal council, is appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit from the order granting Megan, The Duchess of Sussex, motion to dismiss issued by Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell on March 12th, 2024.
In the lawsuit, Samantha has been pursuing damages of at least $75,000 for defamation and defamation by implication, stemming from Meghan's remark to Oprah implying that Samantha is an only child. Meghan also alleged that Samantha changed her surname to "Markle" solely upon dating Harry. Samantha contends that Meghan repeated these assertions in the Netflix series, leading to global humiliation. However, Judge Honeywell's 58-page ruling deemed Meghan's statement substantially true and not defamatory. The judge stated that Meghan was merely expressing her perspective on a distant relationship with Samantha, who shares the same father.
Samantha's claim that Meghan labeled her as a liar and fame seeker was deemed by the judge as an improper characterization. Regarding Meghan's assertion that Samantha changed her surname from "Rasmussen" back to "Markle" upon her relationship with Harry, the judge acknowledged the truth of the claim. The judge stated that using "Rasmussen" and then adopting "Markle" coinciding with reports of Meghan's relationship with Prince Harry is substantially accurate based on judicially recognized evidence.
The judge found it puzzling that Samantha included a statement by Harry and criticized British journalists in her claim, as it lacked relevance to Samantha's case. Consequently, the judge deemed Samantha's failure to identify defamatory statements in three attempts as grounds for dismissal with prejudice.
The case, which was initiated in March 2022, outlined Samantha's alleged close relationship with Meghan during their upbringing in Los Angeles. Samantha claimed to have assisted Meghan with schoolwork and had a positive rapport with her. However, as Meghan gained prominence through her role in the TV series "Suits," she allegedly distanced herself from Samantha and ceased visits by 2016.
The lawsuit asserts that Meghan's demeanor towards Samantha and her family turned hostile after meeting Harry. A pivotal moment cited was in 2017 when Meghan purportedly abruptly ended a phone call upon hearing Samantha's voice and never returned it despite subsequent attempts. Since then, Meghan has allegedly sought to discredit Samantha and other relatives aggressively. The lawsuit alleges that Meghan tends to terminate relationships rather than salvage them, opting for hostility.
Reports suggest that Samantha is now seeking Princess Katherine's help in the court battle against Meghan. According to former GB News broadcaster Dan Wootton, Samantha Markle has filed for an appeal to overturn the ruling dismissing the defamation case. Wootton mentioned that a lawyer plans to ask Princess Katherine to provide a witness statement. However, he also emphasized that Samantha prioritizes Princess Katherine's cancer recovery and wants to be respectful of her health challenges.
