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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Meghan Markle won at the federal district-court stage of her half-sister Samantha Markle’s defamation case: on March 12, 2024, a judge dismissed Samantha’s third amended complaint with prejudice. Samantha had sought more than $75,000 in damages, but that amount was a demand—not money awarded to her or ordered paid by Meghan. Samantha appealed, and the Eleventh Circuit heard oral argument on September 9, 2025; the appellate disposition is not established by the official pages cited below.
What happened in Samantha Markle’s defamation case?
Samantha Markle sued her half-sister Meghan Markle in federal court in Florida over statements associated with Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Netflix series Harry & Meghan, and the book Finding Freedom. On March 12, 2024, U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell dismissed Samantha’s third amended complaint with prejudice. The order is the district court’s ruling on the complaint’s allegations, not a broad factual determination about every dispute between the sisters. Read the March 12, 2024 order in Markle v. Markle.
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Why did the judge dismiss the complaint?
Alleged characterizations were treated as opinion
Samantha challenged descriptions of her as a stranger, liar, or opportunist. Judge Honeywell concluded that the characterizations pleaded were opinions that could not be objectively verified, and therefore did not provide a basis for an actionable defamation claim in the complaint.
The claims tied to Finding Freedom
The book-related claims also failed because Meghan was not the publisher of Finding Freedom, the court explained. The ruling addresses the legal sufficiency of the claims against Meghan; it should not be read as a finding resolving every factual disagreement underlying the sisters’ allegations.
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Did Meghan Markle have to pay $75,000?
No. Samantha sought more than $75,000 in damages, according to TIME’s contemporaneous report. That was the amount requested in the lawsuit, not a judgment, settlement, or payment. The district court dismissed the operative complaint rather than awarding damages.
What does dismissal “with prejudice” mean?
It means Samantha could not simply refile the claims in that operative complaint as the same case in the district court. An appeal is a separate procedural step; it asks an appellate court to review the lower court’s ruling and does not itself establish whether that ruling will stand.
What happened to Samantha Markle’s appeal?
The Eleventh Circuit’s official case page identifies appeal 24-11091, Samantha Markle v. Meghan Markle, and lists oral argument on September 9, 2025. Its oral-argument index also lists a recording for that appeal and date. These entries establish that argument took place, but the cited official pages do not establish the appellate court’s later disposition. See the Eleventh Circuit case page and the court’s oral-argument index. Accordingly, the district-court dismissal can be described confidently; whether the appeal was later decided requires checking the current docket.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the lawyers said after the dismissal
TIME reported Meghan’s lawyer, Michael Kump, saying, “We are pleased with the Court’s ruling dismissing the case.” The same report described Samantha’s lawyer’s reaction as “upsetting” and said the lawyer intended to appeal; the subsequent Eleventh Circuit argument listing confirms that the appeal proceeded to oral argument.
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