A Delaware judge has ruled that Candace Owens cannot be held personally liable in a defamation lawsuit filed by Brigitte Macron. The French first lady and President Emmanuel Macron sued Owens and two Delaware-registered businesses last July over claims that included an unfounded assertion that Mrs. Macron was born male.
Delaware Superior Court Judge Sheldon Rennie determined that the court lacked jurisdiction over Owens, who resides in Tennessee. However, the defamation case against Candace Owens LLC and Georgetom Inc. can continue because these businesses are registered in Delaware. This means any potential judgment against the businesses would not directly impact Owens' personal assets.
Owens, who has described the lawsuit as a "grossest legal overreach by a foreign government leader," has promoted false claims and conspiracy theories against the Macrons. The lawsuit states these claims were made to "promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money." Among the alleged lies are claims that Mrs. Macron, 73, was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her older brother.
The Macrons' complaint asserts that Owens has "dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history — twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade." The complaint further states, "The result... is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale."
In 2024, Owens launched a podcast series titled "Becoming Brigitte," which featured false allegations about Mrs. Macron, including that she transitioned to female and that the Macrons are related by blood and engaged in incest.
The origins of these claims can be traced to a 2021 article in Faits et Documents, a small far-right magazine. The article, co-authored by Natacha Rey and Xavier Poussard, gained wider attention after Rey's interview about the speculations went viral. Although Rey was later found to have defamed Brigitte Macron in September 2024, Owens continued to promote the story.
This legal development follows a Paris court's decision earlier this year, where ten individuals were found guilty of cyberbullying for spreading similar false claims about the First Lady. These defendants received suspended prison sentences of up to eight months for what the court described as "particularly degrading and insulting" comments. The accusations included claims that Mrs. Macron was born a man and suggested her 24-year age gap with President Macron was linked to pedophilia.
Brigitte Macron's daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified during the Paris trial about the significant negative impact these online attacks have had on her mother and the entire family, stating, "She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her."