Meghan Markle is facing fresh court drama after her half-sister Samantha Markle was granted an oral argument in her appeal against the Duchess in a defamation case
Katy Hallam and Patrick Hill
22:10, 18 Jul 2025
Samantha Markle on Good Morning Britain.(Image: ITV)
The Duchess of Sussex is bracing for a fresh legal battle as her half-sister mounts another attempt to sue her for defamation.
Meghan Markle’s legal team has been summoned to present in person at the United States Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 9 to contest Samantha’s appeal following the dismissal of her initial lawsuit.
The litigation could be an unwelcome distraction for Prince Harry’s spouse, who is endeavouring to carve out a niche with her lifestyle brand and podcast ventures.
Read more Meghan Markle’s true Netflix viewing figures as Duchess faces blow
A legal notice has been dispatched to both Meghan and Samantha’s solicitors by a clerk from the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
The notice states: “The Court has determined that the cases listed on the attached calendar are to be orally argued. Counsel for each party must present oral argument unless excused by the Court for good cause shown.”
Meghan Markle(Image: Spotify)
It further specifies that each side will have a quarter of an hour to lay out their case before the presiding judge, whose identity remains undisclosed, reports the Mirror.
Samantha, aged 60, initiated a defamation claim against Meghan, now 43, almost four years back, alleging her image was tarnished by her sister during the explosive Oprah interview in 2021.
She disputes Meghan’s assertion that she “grew up as an only child” and had little connection with her – claiming it negatively impacted the sales of her autobiography, The Diary Of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1.
Samantha has alleged that she was “forced to move residences, retract from public outings” and even “faced realistic death threats” due to the impact of the royal’s Netflix documentary, as stated in a previous court document.
Moreover, she has accused Meghan of tarnishing her image by implying that they did not have a close relationship growing up, claiming this has damaged her personal and professional reputation and led to “face relentless torment online”.
The $75,000 (£55,900) lawsuit was dismissed by a judge who found Meghan’s public statements to be “substantially true”.
However, Samantha has not given up and launched an appeal in April last year, arguing that the judge overlooked the implied defamation caused by the omission of facts.
Samantha and Meghan are half-sisters, sharing the same father, Thomas Markle Sr, but having different mothers.