Samantha Markle sued her half-sister Meghan Markle for defamation in the Middle District of Florida last year over statements Meghan made on a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey and in the Netflix series Harry & Meghan. Meghan defended the case, Markle v. Markle, aggressively, with the court ultimately dismissing the complaint for failure to state…
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The “libel-proof plaintiff doctrine” is a defense to defamation, though one that has not been applied in in Florida. What is the libel proof doctrine? The underlying theory behind the libel-proof doctrine is that the plaintiff’s reputation is so tarnished it could not possibly be any more damaged. For example, in New York, if there…
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A MAN NAMED Peter Sloan, purported son of William Shatner, sued the James T. Kirk/Danny Crane actor for defamation in February. The Middle District of Florida (Tampa division) quickly dismissed the original complaint but gave Sloan leave to file an amended complaint, which he did do. Shatner filed another motion to dismiss. On August 3, 2017, the…
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