Brigitte Macron has launched a defamation case against Candace Owens over the US podcaster’s ludicrous claim that she was born a man.
The French first lady filed her 218-page lawsuit in Delaware on Wednesday, accusing Ms Owens of publishing ‘outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions’.
Ms Owens attacked Ms Macron, 72, in a now-deleted YouTube video posted in March last year, propagating the false claim that she was born a man.
The podcaster cited a ‘thorough investigation’ by blogger Natacha Rey, whom Ms Macron is also suing for libel in a separate claim.
Ms Macron and her husband French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement: ‘Because Ms Owens systematically reaffirmed these falsehoods in response to each of our attorneys’ repeated requests for a retraction, we ultimately concluded that referring the matter to a court of law was the only remaining avenue for remedy.
‘Ms Owens’ campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety. We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused.
‘It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all.’
Tom Clare of Clare Locke LLP, lead counsel for the Macrons, announced the filing of the 22-count defamation lawsuits against Ms Owens, citing ‘a relentless year-long campaign of defamation’.
‘Ms. Owens has promoted a preposterous narrative about the Macrons, including incendiary and verifiably false accusations of identity theft, incest, violent crimes, and mind control,’ a statement shared with MailOnline read.
It comes days after sources close to the Macrons revealed Brigitte has been driven to despair by online abuse stemming from claims she was born a man and had ‘sexually abused’ her future husband when he was a boy.
