Paris – French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron have filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative commentator Candace Owens over her promotion of a baseless conspiracy theory alleging that Mrs. Macron was born male.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Delaware Superior Court, claims Owens has waged “a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons,” according to a statement from their lawyer, Tom Clare. The legal action follows Owens’ revival of the theory in a March YouTube video titled “Is France’s First Lady a Man?” which she promoted on X as “likely the biggest scandal in political history.”
Since March, Owens has produced numerous videos on the subject for her nearly 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, including a multi-part series called “Becoming Brigitte,” and has sold merchandise promoting the claim.
Clare stated that the lawsuit was a “last resort” after Owens refused to comply with requests made over the past year to stop making the allegations. He noted that Owens had been provided with “incontrovertible evidence” disproving her claims, including proof that Mrs. Macron was born a woman named Brigitte Trogneux and is not a blood relative of the president.
The complaint alleges that Owens was the first person to bring these claims to a US and international audience, causing the Macrons “substantial economic damages” and loss of future business opportunities. It further states that the allegations have caused “tremendous damage” and are “invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust.”
In response, Owens posted a video on YouTube calling the lawsuit “an obvious and desperate public relations strategy.” On Instagram, she shared a picture of the couple with the caption: “I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned.”
The Macrons are seeking unspecified punitive damages for 22 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication. While Clare declined to state a specific monetary amount, he warned that if Owens continues to publicize the claim, “it’ll be a substantial award.”
This is not the first legal battle over this theory for Brigitte Macron. In 2022, she sued two French women for spreading similar claims. After an initial victory, the women won an appeal, and the case is now set to go before a higher court, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
At an event in March 2024, President Macron lamented the impact of “false information and fabricated stories.” He said, “People end up believing them, and it disrupts your life, even in your most private moments.”
France’s Elysee Palace described the lawsuit as a “private affair” and declined to comment.
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