French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a defamation lawsuit against American commentator Candace Owens, accusing her of spreading false claims about Brigitte’s gender identity.
The Macrons filed a 218-page complaint in Delaware Superior Court, alleging Owens conducted a “campaign of global humiliation” and “relentless bullying” through her claims.
They seek unspecified damages and a jury trial.
Owens alleged Brigitte Macron was born male, citing Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of Brigitte’s older brother. The Macrons’ lawsuit calls these claims “verifiably false and devastating lies.”
Owens dismissed the lawsuit as “an obvious and desperate public relations strategy” to damage her reputation. Her representative accused the Macrons of attempting to silence her and infringing on her First Amendment rights.
Brigitte Macron previously won a defamation case in France over similar allegations, but the decision was later overturned on appeal. She has since appealed to France’s Supreme Court.
To win the case, the Macrons must prove “actual malice,” meaning Owens knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. This is a high bar to meet in U.S. defamation cases, especially for public figures.
The lawsuit could set a precedent for how international figures address online defamation campaigns and balance free speech with protecting one’s reputation.
