Judge suggests a decision will be handed down within days

• Meghan Markle’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, accused Meghan of defamation over her 2021 interview with Oprah and her 2022 Netflix series.
• Samantha, 58, claims Meghan, 42, implied in the interview that she was a “fraud”, “deceitful opportunist” and “charlatan”.
• The lawsuit was filed in March 2022 and dismissed in March of this year.Samantha is now making another attempt to take the case to trial in Florida.

Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister appeared in a Florida court on Wednesday to secure a trial in her defamation lawsuit against the Duchess.

Samantha Markle, 58, claims her 42-year-old half-sister defamed her in a 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and a 2022 Netflix series.

The Duchess of Sussex said in an interview that Samantha, whose father Thomas married Meghan’s mother Doria after her brother Thomas was born, called him a “fraudster,” “deceitful opportunist” and “charlatan.” He claims that he implied that.

She is seeking more than $75,000 in damages, alleging that Meghan’s comments caused sales of her book “Princess Pushy’s Sister’s Diary” to decline, resulting in professional and social harm.

Samantha’s lawyer Peter Ticktin claimed his client, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, had been harassed since Meghan’s interview and was afraid to leave his home.

Meghan’s lawyer, Michael Kump, said Samantha’s lawsuit was baseless and that none of Meghan’s comments were defamatory.

“This has always been a case with a viable claim,” said Kampf, who also represents the Kardashian family.

“This case was defeated because it was in direct violation of defamation law and the First Amendment.”

The lawsuit was first filed in March 2022 and dismissed in March of this year.

A judge found in March that Meghan was merely expressing her “opinions about her childhood and her relationship with her half-siblings.”

Samantha is now making another attempt to take the case to trial in Florida.

Judge Charlene Honeywell, who is overseeing the case, is expected to decide whether to proceed to trial in the coming weeks.

Samantha Markle told reporters outside court that she was “optimistic” about the prospects for the trial.

“I’m optimistic because I think the truth is independent, and I’m grateful that we have a justice system that gives us the opportunity to get the facts out,” she said. US Sun.

She said she was hurt by Meghan’s claims that they didn’t get along as children, but told Fox 13.: “People change. They have plans and other things that affect their lives. Reality doesn’t change.”

Samantha, who has appeared frequently on television and in newspapers since Meghan first emerged as Prince Harry’s girlfriend, said her book was not an “all-indictment”.

“Anyone who has read my book knows that it’s a sociology book about social labels,” she told the US Sun.

“Actually, the title was not meant to make fun of her, but rather to make fun of the social label that the media used to refer to her as ‘Princess Pussy’.”