Meghan Markle faces new court drama as half-sister Samantha tries to sue again

Both the Duchess and Samantha’s legal teams will be given 15 minutes each to present their argument to the presiding judge at the hearing in Jacksonville, Florida

The Duchess of Sussex is set to face a new court hearing as her half-sister tries again to sue her for defamation.

Meghan Markle’s lawyers have been ordered to appear in person at the United States Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 9 to argue against Samantha’s case, which is an appeal after her original case was dismissed. The case could prove an unwelcome distraction for Prince Harry’s wife, who is trying to build a lifestyle brand and podcast success. A legal document has been sent to both Meghan and Samantha’s lawyers by a clerk at the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit,

The document says: “The Court has determined that the cases listed on the attached calendar are to be orally argued. Counsel for each party must present oral argument unless excused by the Court for good cause shown.”

The document adds both sides will be given 15 minutes each to present their argument to the presiding judge, who was not named.

Samantha, 60, originally launched a defamation case against Meghan, 43, nearly four years ago, claiming her reputation had been damaged by her sibling in her and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah in 2021.

She challenged Meghan’s claims that she “grew up as an only child” and didn’t have much of a relationship with her – alleging it hurt the sales of her book, The Diary Of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1.

Samantha also claimed she was “forced to move residences, retract from public outings” and “faced realistic death threats” as a result of the royal’s Netflix documentary, according to a previous court filing.

And she accused Meghan of discrediting her by suggesting she did not know her growing up, alleging it hurt her personal and professional reputation and caused her to “face relentless torment online”.

The $75,000 (£55,900) claim was rejected by a judge, who ruled public statements by Meghan were “substantially true”. But Samantha, launched an appeal in April last year claiming the judge failed to take into account implied defamation created by omitting facts.

Samantha and Meghan share the same dad, Thomas Markle Sr, but have different mums.