Meghan Markle is being sued by her sister for $75,000 over the ‘false’ narrative she peddled of a ‘rags to riches’ story during her bombshell chat with Oprah Winfrey.
In an explosive court document, Samantha claims the Duchess of Sussex launched a ‘premeditated campaign to destroy’ her and her father’s reputation.
She claims her sister tried to ruin their credibility so ‘they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairy tale life story concocted by the defendant’.
She also alleges Meghan lied when she claimed she ‘essentially raised herself from virtual poverty’ and from 13 had to take on low-paying jobs to ‘make ends meet’.
Meanwhile Samantha, 57, launched an astonishing broadside on her sister’s friend and biographer Omid Scobie as she blasted Finding Freedom as ‘a book of lies’.
The Sussex’s lawyer hit back at the lawsuit, claiming it was ‘baseless’ and they would give it ‘the minimum attention necessary’. Scobie also dismissed the claims.
Meghan Markle is being sued by her sister for $75,000 over the ‘false’ narrative she peddled of a ‘rags to riches’ story during her bombshell chat with Oprah Winfrey
In an explosive court document, Samantha (pictured) claims the Duchess of Sussex launched a ‘premeditated campaign to destroy’ her and her father’s reputation
Meanwhile Samantha, 57, launched an astonishing broadside on her sister’s friend and biographer Omid Scobie (pictured) as she blasted Finding Freedom as ‘a book of lies’
The defamation case, filed in Tampa, Florida, is the latest court battle Meghan finds herself in and yet another public spat with her family.
Samantha paints a picture of the Duchess weaving a ‘rags to riches’ story together story together while attacking her sister and father to maintain the narrative.
She claims the defendant had ‘fabricated’ details of her background to the Royal Family, the media and during TV interviews.
She cites Meghan’s appearances on Oprah and Ellen in the US as occasions where she ‘falsely claimed… she essentially raised herself from virtual poverty’.
Samantha says her sister’s claim ‘she was forced from the age of 13 to work in a series of low-paying jobs to ‘make ends meet” was untrue.
She claims the Duchess, 40, never worked to pay for her Northwestern college education and argues the story of her climbing through an old car’s trunk was a lie.
The document also lists Meghan’s claims she had no siblings, little contact with her family and that her family could only afford the $4.99 salad at Sizzlers as incorrect.
Samantha Markle is pictured with her half-sister Meghan Markle at her graduation in 2008
A young Meghan is pictured with her father Thomas Markle, from whom she is also estranged
Meanwhile Samantha also hits out at Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s book Finding Freedom, which she dubs her sister’s ‘fairy tale life story’.
She claims the book caused ‘substantial and irreparable prejudice, injury, and harm’ to her reputation.
She listed a series of texts in the biography she disputes, including that she dropped out of high school.
Meanwhile Samantha also hits out at Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s book Finding Freedom, which she dubs her sister’s ‘fairy tale life story’
The claim hits back at this, saying ‘the truth is that Samantha was seriously injured from a fall from a rope swing, resulting in paralysis on her left side and blindness in one eye at that time, and she was then diagnosed with multiple sclerosis’.
Samantha rejected the notion Meghan and she had met only ‘a handful of times’ and that she had ‘never had a relationship with’ her or their father.
The lawsuit says: ‘This is false. Samantha spent time with Defendant on a regular basis throughout her childhood and even lived in the same apartment house with Defendant for a period of time.
‘Samantha picked up Meghan from school; took Meghan for ice cream and to the mall regularly, and spent many family holidays with the Defendant.
‘Meghan’s father was Meghan’s primary care-giver and Meghan and Samantha saw each other regularly.’
It adds: ‘This is an attempt by Meghan to create the false impression that Meghan was essentially an only child with no contact with other family members, or as Meghan stated on Oprah, that she had ”no siblings”.
‘Meghan apparently wanted to convince the public that her family members knew nothing about her life and, thus, were not qualified to contradict the false narrative Meghan had fabricated about her life.’
Samantha seeks $75,000 from her sister and has demanded a trial by jury for the case, making one count of defamation and another of defamation by implication.
The Sussex’s lawyer hit back at the lawsuit (pictured), claiming it was ‘baseless’ and they would give it ‘the minimum attention necessary’. Scobie also dismissed the claims’
The document said: ‘Plaintiff has suffered actual damages in the form of lost employment, lost income from sales of her autobiography, emotional and mental distress, including anxiety and fear due to the threatening and violent emails and messages she receives regularly, and harm to her reputation and credibility.’
The Duchesses lawyer dismissed the claims, telling TMZ: ‘This baseless and absurd lawsuit is just a continuation of a pattern of disturbing behavior.’
The attorney added: ‘We will give it the minimum attention necessary, which is all it deserves.’
Meghan’s friend Scobie, who was named frequently in the lawsuit, repeated the lawyer’s words, adding: ‘A burn from Meghan’s attorney Michael Kump.’
The sisters are thought to have last seen each other in 2008 but they have butted heads over versions of their childhoods in recent years.
Ms Markle’s autobiography, titled ‘The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister: A Memoir, Part One’, is expected to heavily criticise Meghan
Samantha’s rocky relationship with Meghan exploded into public view after her sister’s engagement to Prince Harry was announced in 2017.
She was quoted by journalists as saying ‘The Queen would be appalled’ and called her a ‘ducha**’ on Twitter.
She gave numerous interviews attacking the Duchess but has since backtracked and complimented her.
Samantha released a book about her sister last year titled The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister: A Memoir, Part One.
It lays bare details of the Markles’ upbringing, including the rivalry when their father was still married to the actress’s mother Doria Ragland.
But Samantha also writes of her adoration for Meghan as a baby and described the infant as ‘bi-racial, beautiful, and was both the color of a peach, and a rose’.
