Tuesday, a Florida judge ordered that Megan Markle and Prince Harry will be deposed in her estranged half-sister Samantha Markle’s defamation case.
CNN said that Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell denied Meghan’s plea to avoid testifying, stating that the Duchess of Sussex “fails to demonstrate that exceptional circumstances justify the requested stay or that prejudice or an undue burden will result if the court does not impose a stay.”
The judge continued, “[Meghan] does not meet the high standard required to stay discovery pending the resolution of a dispositive motion.”
Samantha, 58, sought Meghan, 41, and Harry, 38, be deposed in separate interviews, stating in court documents acquired by Fox News on Monday that “the duchess has not agreed to schedule a single deposition to date.”
Samantha additionally demanded the depositions of her father, Thomas Markle, her daughter, Ashleigh Hale, former royal staffer Jason Knauf, and online security expert Christopher Bouzy.
Samantha is suing Meghan for defamation based on “clearly false and malicious statements” made to a “global audience” during the “Suits” star and her husband’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
Samantha has charged Meghan with “defaming and destroying” her and Thomas’ reputation and integrity. The lawsuit stated that Meghan did so “to preserve and promote the false ‘rags-to-royalty’ narrative” that she “fabricated about her life to the royal family and the international media.”
Samantha also claimed Meghan told “lies designed to destroy [her] reputation,” resulting in “global humiliation, shame, and hatred” for her.
Samantha further refuted that she and Meghan did not spend much time together as children and that she dropped out of high school, as claimed by Meghan.
Samantha also refuted Meghan’s assertion that she changed her surname to Markle when the news of Meghan and Harry’s romance initially surfaced in 2016.
Meghan allegedly “published and disseminated false and malicious statements” about Samantha in a royal biographers’ 2020 book titled “Finding Freedom.”
Samantha has requested a jury trial. She is seeking $75,000 in damages.
Meghan has stated that she never had a close friendship with Samantha, even before she began dating Harry.
Meghan submitted a motion to dismiss Samantha’s complaint in June 2022, claiming the allegations were “without merit.”
In court records at the time, her attorney claimed, “We do not appoint juries to determine whether two people are ‘close’ or whether one genuinely feels that they ‘grew up as an only child.’” “Courts are not competent to judge the validity of an individual’s feelings regarding their childhood and relationships. They should not be.”
Additionally, Meghan’s attorney told TMZ that the lawsuit was “groundless and absurd” and “a continuation of a pattern of disturbing behavior.”
“We will give it the bare minimum of attention, which is all it deserves,” he continued.
Meghan described Samantha’s charges as “without merit.”
The photograph was taken by Janet Mayer/Startraksphoto.com.
Meghan has insisted that she never had a relationship with Samantha, and in her 2022 Netflix documentary series, “Harry & Meghan,” she said that Samantha has exaggerated their closeness.
“I am unaware of your middle name. “I am unaware of your birthday,” she told Samantha. “Are you telling these folks that you reared me and gave me the nickname Princess Pushy?
“I had not had a disagreement with her. We were not close enough to be able to do it. I desired a sister!”
Meghan stated that the last time she saw Samantha, she was in her early 20s.
Samantha seeks $75,000 in compensation. @TuckerToday on Twitter
In March 2022, Samantha’s estranged father stated that he was willing to testify in her case.
“I’ve been trying for over four years to see my daughter and her ginger husband face-to-face in a courtroom…. Thomas, 78, stated at the time, “I would be thrilled to appear in court and defend my oldest daughter.”
Thomas added that he did not believe Meghan has a chance against Samantha and recommended the duchess to drop the matter.
“There are so many blatant, blatant lies that are immediately challenged that I cannot imagine Meghan presenting this in court,” he said. She cannot defend the statements she made.
Thomas and Meghan have been estranged for years, and he notoriously skipped her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
The Sussexes are now estranged from Harry’s brother, Prince William, and their father, King Charles III, after the redheaded royal disparaged his family in his recently published memoir, “Spare.”
Harry and Meghan presently reside in her home state of California with their two children, Archie, 3, and Liliana, 1; they resigned from their royal duties in January 2020.
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