Meghan Markle's Wheelchair-Bound Sister Spotted In Florida Court For Defamation Case

Samantha Markle is not giving up on her defamation case against half-sister Meghan Markle, and was spotted in a Florida court on Wednesday, November 8, while trying to secure a trial.

A photo from the Daily Mail showed the 58-year-old strapped to a wheelchair, as she suffers from multiple sclerosis, while she was talking to a group of people outside the courtroom in Tampa, Florida. She has petitioned for the case to go to trial after initially filing it in March 2022, but only to see it be dismissed in March this year.

In her case, Samantha claimed the Duchess of Sussex caused her "humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale" after telling Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 that she grew up as an "only child". She claimed the royal implied that she is an "impostor," a "deceptive opportunist" and a "charlatan" in her interview.

She also accused Meghan Markle of causing her professional and social harm and blamed her for the weak sales of her book, "The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister." Samantha is seeking payment for damages in excess of £62,000 ($75,000).

Samantha's lawyer, Peter Ticktin, claimed that his client fears leaving her house because she has been harassed since the duchess' interview. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle's lawyer, Michael Kump, called the plaintiff's accusations baseless.

"This has always been a lawsuit in search of a viable claim. The case has failed because it runs head first up against defamation law and the First Amendment," he said.

However, Samantha is "optimistic" about the prospects of a trial. Speaking to reporters outside the court she shared: "I think the truth stands on its own, so I'm optimistic and thankful that we have a justice system that gives us the chance to present the facts."

She also admitted to feeling hurt over the Duchess of Sussex's claims that they did not grow up close. She said: "People change, they have agendas, they have other things influencing their lives. It doesn't change reality."

U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell, who is overseeing the case, is expected to decide whether it should go to trial in the coming weeks. The judge initially dismissed the case and explained her decision in a court document which read: "As a reasonable listener would understand it, defendant (Meghan Markle) merely expresses an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-siblings. Thus, the court finds that defendant's statement is not objectively verifiable or subject to empirical proof.... plaintiff (Samantha Markle) cannot plausibly disprove defendant's opinion of her own childhood."