French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing US podcaster Candace Owens. The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court, seeks a jury trial and unspecified punitive damages. According to the Macrons, Owens’s podcast series, Becoming Brigitte, spread “verifiably false and devastating lies” about Brigitte’s past, including claims that she stole another person’s identity and transitioned to female.
The Macrons’ complaint discusses the circumstances under which they met, when the now 47-year-old president was a high school student and Brigitte was a teacher. It said their relationship “remained within the bounds of the law.” The couple claims Owens’s campaign of defamation was designed to harass and cause pain to them and their families, and to garner attention and notoriety.
“We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused,” the Macrons said. “It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all.” Owens responded to the lawsuit, saying, “This lawsuit is littered with factual inaccuracies” and is part of an “obvious and desperate public relations strategy” to smear her character.
A spokesperson for Owens called the lawsuit an effort to bully her, saying, “This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist.” The lawsuit is a rare case of a world leader suing for defamation in the US. To prevail in US defamation cases, public figures must show defendants engaged in “actual malice,” a tough legal standard requiring proof that the defendants knew what they published was false or had reckless disregard for its truth.
The Macrons’ lawsuit against Owens highlights the challenges of balancing free speech with the need to protect individuals from defamation. As the case unfolds, it will be closely watched by media observers and legal experts. The outcome could have significant implications for the way public figures handle defamation cases in the US.
In recent years, other high-profile figures have also turned to the courts to address defamation claims. US President Donald Trump has filed several lawsuits against media outlets, including a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over an opinion piece that he claimed defamed him. Trump has also settled defamation cases, including a $15 million settlement with Walt Disney-owned ABC over an inaccurate claim about a jury finding him liable for rape.
The Macrons’ lawsuit against Owens raises important questions about the role of public figures in shaping the media narrative and the limits of free speech in the digital age. As the case progresses, it will be essential to monitor how the courts navigate these complex issues and what implications the outcome may have for public discourse.