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Morgan Carey sued his sister, Mariah Carey, over passages in her 2020 memoir, alleging that they falsely depicted him as violent and connected him to criminal conduct. The case has narrowed substantially: courts dismissed the publisher defendants and most of the claims against Mariah Carey, but the latest located order—dated December 8, 2025, and filed January 15, 2026—did not decide whether she is liable on the remaining defamation claims.
What did Morgan Carey say the memoir got wrong?
Morgan Carey’s lawsuit concerns passages in The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Mariah Carey’s memoir, written with Michaela Angela Davis and published by Macmillan’s Andy Cohen Books imprint on October 29, 2020. Morgan alleged that the book falsely portrayed him as violent toward their mother and father, associated him with drug dealing, and suggested that he accepted money connected to a murder-for-hire plot.
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Morgan’s account in the litigation was that he contacted prosecutors and testified against Virginia Carole Maddox after she killed her husband. These are allegations and competing accounts, not facts established by the rulings described here. The memoir is Mariah Carey’s own account, not an independent adjudication of the family’s disputes.
What was Mariah Carey’s response?
In a 2021 filing, Mariah Carey argued that the book addressed matters of public interest and that Morgan’s claims did not meet the legal standard for defamation, according to Kirkus Reviews’ coverage of her filing. That was her position in the case, not a final court finding that the memoir was truthful or that no defamation occurred.
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How has the case progressed?
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 29, 2020 | The memoir was published, according to the court’s 2022 decision. |
| March 3, 2021 | Morgan Carey filed suit against Mariah Carey and publisher defendants. His original complaint included defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress; a later amended complaint removed the IIED claim and included defamation and injurious falsehood claims. The 2022 court decision describes the pleadings. |
| February 2022 | The trial court dismissed all claims against the publisher defendants and 14 of the 16 causes of action against Mariah Carey. Two causes of action against her remained. The court’s decision sets out the ruling. |
| October 2023 | The Appellate Division, First Department, unanimously affirmed the appealed portions of the 2022 order. The appellate decision addresses that review. |
| April 12, 2024 | The trial court denied Morgan Carey’s motion for default judgment or summary judgment, finding factual disputes concerning two statements and actual malice. The decision did not resolve those disputed facts. The order explains the ruling. |
| December 8, 2025; filed January 15, 2026 | The court allowed amendments removing dismissed claims and defendants and adding special-damages allegations. It denied proposed amendments adding an IIED claim and a claim about a YouTube video. The order did not determine liability on the remaining defamation claims. The order is the latest located ruling. |
What did the 2024 ruling decide—and what did it leave open?
In denying summary judgment, the court wrote that “the Court finds that genuine issues of fact exist regarding the truth of the two statements and whether there was actual malice in expressing them.” The statement explains why the court would not resolve the motion on the papers before it; it is not a finding that the statements were false or that Mariah Carey acted with actual malice. The decision left those factual questions unresolved.
What did the latest order change?
The December 2025 order addressed whether Morgan Carey could amend his complaint. The court allowed amendments to reflect claims and defendants already dismissed and to add special-damages allegations. It refused permission to add an intentional-infliction-of-emotional-distress claim and a claim related to a YouTube video. In discussing the proposed IIED claim, the court concluded at this pleading stage that the allegations did not meet the threshold for extreme conduct and that the claim duplicated the defamation claim.
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An amendment ruling is not a final judgment on the remaining defamation allegations. The latest located order does not establish a later resolution of those claims.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can readers conclude from the court record?
- Morgan Carey alleged that statements in his sister’s memoir harmed his reputation; the allegations remain distinct from proven facts.
- The publisher defendants were dismissed, as were most claims against Mariah Carey. The appellate court affirmed the appealed parts of that dismissal in 2023.
- The 2024 court ruling found factual disputes relevant to two statements and actual malice, so it did not grant Morgan Carey summary judgment.
- The latest located order narrowed the pleadings but did not decide final liability on the defamation claims that remained.
Readers who want to compare the disputed allegations with Mariah Carey’s own account can consult The Meaning of Mariah Carey and the court’s description of the case. The memoir provides one participant’s account; the court decisions document the procedural rulings.
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