Overview
- Oral arguments are scheduled for September 9, 2025, before a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit in Jacksonville, Florida.
- Samantha Markle appealed after her libel suit was dismissed with prejudice by a Florida federal court in March 2024, which barred her from refiling the same claims.
- Her lawsuit alleges that Meghan’s comment about growing up “as an only child” during a March 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and scenes from the “Harry & Meghan” Netflix documentary defamed Samantha by implying she orchestrated a hate campaign.
- Meghan’s legal team argues those statements are protected under the First Amendment as nonactionable opinions rather than false assertions.
- The disputed case underscores the half-sisters’ long-standing estrangement and raises broader questions about the clash between defamation law and free speech in high-profile media coverage.