Is Samantha Markle's defamation case against sister Meghan Markle 'set' to be dismissed?

No sooner has the furore from Prince Harry’s memoir Spare started to dissipate, then the focus is once again firmly back on the royal couple. The ‘will they’ ‘won’t they’ debate is still rumbling on over whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will attend the coronation of King Charles, and now the attention has switched to Samantha Markle’s defamation lawsuit against her half sister Meghan Markle.

Samantha Markle is seeking $75,000 in damages over claims Meghan Markle made in her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. According to The Independent, "The complainant (Samantha Markle), 58, claims her reputation suffered after the former TV actress (Meghan Markle), 41, made what she alleges were "demonstrably false and malicious statements" about her when discussing their childhood, saying she was subjected to "humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale," as a result of the Duchess’s remarks."

Samantha Markle appeared on Wednesday 15 February 2023 alongside her lawyer in a virtual court hearing on her defamation case. Lawyers for Meghan Markle were also present and are reportedly calling Samantha Markle’s claims as ‘offensive’ and ‘inappropriate.’ They are asking for the case to be dismissed due to its ‘fatal defects'.

Meghan Markle’s lawyer Michael Kump is considered one of the leading lawyers in the media and entertainment industry and is a partner of KWIKH, which stands for Kinsella, Weitzman, Iser Kump and Holley.

On their website, it states: "In selecting Mr. Kump to their list of the Top 100 lawyers in California whose work has changed the law, an industry or society, The Daily Journal, California’s premier legal publication stated: "Whether he’s with them or against them, Hollywood’s A-listers have seen firsthand how effectively Michael Kump litigates cases."

Considering his legal prowess, it will be interesting to see how the court case plays out and whether it will be dismissed in the near future.