Meghan Markle's half sister Samantha has launched a fresh legal fight to sue the Duchess for defamation,claiming she has portrayed her in a way that has left her unable to work.
The 59-year-old is appealing against a court ruling rejecting her claim that Meghan made her out to be a 'lying,racist,fame-seeker'.
Samantha is claiming her Duchess sister did not know her while they were growing up,and that she has now destroyed her image 'publicly and on a global scale,' according to court documents obtained by The Sun.
'She has made it so Samantha cannot work,or even enjoy the most mundane of activities,like going to the grocery store without harassment,' the document continues.
But the case,which revolves around comments made during Prince Harry and Meghan's infamous 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and in TV series Harry & Meghan in December 2022,was previously called to be dismissed.
Meghan Markle appeared on CBS News on Sunday alongside her husband Prince Harry
She wrote: 'That Plaintiff used one last name and then the name Markle soon after reports of Defendant's relationship with Prince Harry were published is substantially true,based on the exhibits in the record,of which the Court has taken judicial notice.'
Among the statements in Samantha's claim was one by Harry in the Netflix series in which he said: 'Perhaps the most troubling part of this is the number of British journalists interacting with and amplifying the hate and the lies'.
But Judge Honeywell said: 'That this statement was included in the complaint is perplexing and suggests haste,a misunderstanding of the law,or a lack of diligence on the part of plaintiff's counsel.
'It is unclear how this statement could be defamatory towards Plaintiff,as it does not reference her'.
In her conclusion,Judge Honeywell wrote: 'Plaintiff's claims will be dismissed with prejudice,as she has failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation or defamation-by-implication by this point,her third try at amending her complaint,in either the book Finding Freedom,the Netflix series Harry & Meghan,or Defendant and her husband's hour-long televised CBS Interview'.
Samantha had also planned to ask Kate Middleton for a witness statement before the Princess of Wales revealed she had cancer.
But she had stressed that the Kate's 'cancer recovery is priority.'
'I think it's important everyone know that this was out there by my attorney before anyone was aware of her health challenges,' Samantha told former GB News host Dan Wootton.
On March 18,Samantha's lawyer,Peter Ticktin,told Wootton during an episode of his Outspoken online talk show that he felt as though the princess would be able to provide a useful witness statement in the trial.
'I felt that Catherine might have some very important light to shed on what had occurred because obviously something is really really wrong between these two,' he said.
Samantha has filed her new,and potentially final,appeal just two days after Meghan celebrated her 43rd birthday.
Her lawyers are set to request an oral hearing but no date has yet been confirmed.
They said: 'Oral argument is desired as the issues may require some clarification.'
The fresh blow for the Duchess comes after she made an appearance on CBS News Sunday Morning as she opened up on her suicidal thoughts and feelings she was subjected to as a working royal.
The Suits star first detailed such feelings in March 2021,when she told Oprah Winfrey she 'just didn't want to be alive anymore' because of abuse she was suffering online.
This time,Markle told host Jane Pauley how she hope her candor will help youngsters around the world navigate similar feelings after surfing the web.
FloridaNetflixOprah Winfrey
© OfficialAffairs
