"False rags to riches narrative": Meghan Markle and Samantha's legal drama explored

Former American actress Meghan Markle's half-sister, Samantha, appeared virtually in her defamation case against the former, claiming she damaged her name by concocting a "rags-to-riches" narrative.

The 58-year-old sued the royal for making "demonstrably false and malicious comments" against her in front of a large audience when she and her husband, Prince Harry, gave Oprah Winfrey an explosive interview in March 2021. She filed the lawsuit in Florida's federal court.

She also claimed that the statements made in Meghan and Harry's 2020 biography, Finding Freedom, also tarnished her image.

As per the New York Post, on February 15, Samantha claimed:

“[Meghan Markle] orchestrated the campaign to defame and destroy her sister’s and her father’s reputation and credibility in order to preserve and promote the false ‘rags-to-royalty’ narrative [Meghan] had fabricated about her life to the Royal Family and the worldwide media.”

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Samantha's lawyer claims Meghan Markle defamed her sister to cover up her own lies

As per the New York Post, Samantha Markle's lawyer, Peter Ticktin, said in court that Meghan Markle's alleged lie about her upbringing was caught and that she decided to slam her older half-sister and father to cover it up.

“Why else is she putting her sister down? Why else is she putting her father down? Why else is she denying her family who has done nothing but good to her all her life? She never had a problem with them at all.”

The lawyer stated that Markle's fake narrative harmed his client. He added that the Suits actress put Samantha "into the fray where all of a sudden she had hundreds of threats in her life coming at her."

Responding to the claims, Meghan's lawyer, Michael Kump, denied the grounds of a defamation suit against the actress.

Calling it "offensive" for Meghan Markle, the lawyer demanded the case be dismissed.

“Not every perceived slight ought to be litigated and that’s true here. Plaintiff is taking issue with Meghan’s own impressions of her own childhood growing up but that’s not a proper subject matter for a court of law.”

Kump stated that Meghan has the right to say whatever she wants to and "even criticize" under the First Amendment Act.

He added that Meghan did not write the biography Finding Freedom, which Samantha claims defamed her and is therefore immune from legal action.

Samantha claims Meghan Markle's alleged lying caused her humiliation, disgrace, and contempt on a global scale, and she is suing for $75,000 in damages.

However, the judge in this case, Charlene Honeywell, said she's finding it "really difficult" to see how Meghan's statements were defamatory to Samantha.