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(from left) French President Emmanuel Macron; U.S. conservative commentator Candace Owens
“Since we filed this lawsuit, Ms. Owens has only strengthened our case by doubling down on, and escalating, her knowingly false and defamatory rhetoric against the Macrons,” counsel for the couple said.
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron are pressing forward in their transatlantic defamation battle against American far-right commentator Candace Owens, filing an amended complaint Friday that accuses her of escalating a campaign of falsehoods, even as she moves to have the case dismissed. Owens has falsely claimed that Brigitte Macron is transgender.
Related: French president and wife to present evidence in court that first lady is a cisgender woman
Owens filed a 43-page motion to dismiss on September 12, arguing that Delaware courts have no jurisdiction over the dispute and that the case should be heard, if at all, in France or Tennessee. According to the filing, Owens records her show in the basement of her Nashville home.
Her lawyers called the lawsuit “quintessential libel tourism,” saying the Macrons are attempting to sidestep France’s strict three-month statute of limitations for defamation claims. “Instead of suing in their home country (where their alleged harm was incurred) or in Tennessee (where the allegedly defamatory statements were published), the Macrons sued in Delaware, which has no connection to the claims alleged,” the filing states.
Related: French President Macron sues Candace Owens for defamation over claims his wife is transgender
The Macrons sued Owens in July after the far-right personality continually claimed, without evidence, that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth.
The Macrons countered Owens’s latest filing with a 241-page amended complaint that details what they describe as Owens’s ongoing “vitriolic” attacks. According to the filing, Owens has repeatedly recycled the false claim that Brigitte Macron was born male, expanding her podcast series and even selling merchandise mocking the French first couple.
Related: French president hired investigator to uncover dirt on right-wing U.S. podcaster Candace Owens
The complaint highlights new allegations, including Owens’s suggestion that Brigitte Macron, under the name “Jean-Michel,” participated in the Stanford Prison Experiment, a 1971 study in which Stanford students were assigned roles of guards and prisoners. That experiment was shut down after only six days when participants playing guards began abusing their authority, and it is now remembered as a notorious example of unethical research. Owens, according to the complaint, also attempted to link the couple to conspiracies involving incest, pedophilia, and mind control.
“Since we filed this lawsuit, Ms. Owens has only strengthened our case by doubling down on, and escalating, her knowingly false and defamatory rhetoric against the Macrons,” counsel for the couple said in a statement to The Advocate. “The amended complaint we filed last week captures the breadth of her continued vitriol and addresses her desperate attempts to have this case heard in what she perceives to be a more friendly forum. We are confident that this litigation is before the appropriate court, but regardless of where it is heard, the facts and evidence supporting our claims speak for themselves.”
Related: Candace Owens claims Donald Trump asked her to stop calling Emmanuel Macron’s wife transgender
Brigitte Macron has already won defamation cases in France against others who spread similar rumors. Although a ruling in Macron’s favor was overturned, appeals remain ongoing.
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