Macrons Sue Candace Owens for Defamation Over Gender Identity Claims

Defamation Lawsuit Filed in US

• 🇫🇷 French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware, US, against right-wing influencer Candace Owens.
• 🎯 The lawsuit stems from Owens' claims on her podcast, "Becoming Brigitte," that Brigitte Macron was born male.
• 📢 The Macrons allege Owens launched a campaign of global humiliation to promote her podcast and gain followers, resulting in relentless worldwide bullying.

Podcast Allegations and Refusal to Retract

• 🎙️ The lawsuit centers on Owens' eight-part podcast, which has garnered over 2.3 million views on YouTube.
• 🚫 The Macrons claim the series spread false and devastating lies, including allegations of identity theft, transitioning to female, and incest.
• ⚖️ Lawyers for the Macrons stated they sued because Owens refused three times to retract her claims.

Owens' Response and Legal Challenges

• 🗣️ Candace Owens called the lawsuit factually inaccurate and a public relations strategy to smear her character.
• ✊ A spokesperson for Owens described the suit as an attempt to bully her after Brigitte Macron declined interview requests.
• 📉 A professor of media ethics and law notes that the Macrons face high legal hurdles in the US.
• 🇺🇸 Under US law, public officials must prove actual malice (knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth) to win defamation cases.

Precedent and Related Cases

• 🌍 This lawsuit is a rare instance of a world leader suing for defamation.
• 🇺🇸 Former US President Donald Trump has filed multiple defamation lawsuits, including one against The Wall Street Journal.
• 🇫🇷 Brigitte Macron previously won a French lawsuit against two women spreading rumors about her gender, though an appeals court overturned that ruling, and she is now appealing to France's high court.