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Macrons file new defamation suit against Candace Owens in Tennessee
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a second defamation complaint against Candace Owens on 4 November, after a judge narrowed their earlier case in late October.
AI text based on reports by Le Temps and Mediapart. Published . How it is made
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In brief
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed the complaint on 4 November, targeting Candace Owens in her state of residence.
In late October a judge ruled that Owens could not be held personally liable because the statute of limitations had expired, but the case against her companies continues.
The complaint lists 88 cases across more than 400 pages and accuses Owens of persisting with the claims since the first suit in summer 2025.
- Summer 2025Macrons file their first defamation complaint in Delaware
- Late October 2026Judge limits the case, dropping personal claims against Owens while proceedings against her companies continue
- 4 NovNew defamation complaint filed in a federal court in Tennessee
- 9 NovOwens responds on X that the Macrons have filed a new complaint against her
The new complaint
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron have filed a new defamation complaint against the US influencer Candace Owens in a federal court in Tennessee. The complaint was filed on 4 November and targets Owens in her state of residence, Tennessee. The couple accuse her of persisting with falsehoods about them since their first suit, and of amplifying those claims to build her independent platform, gain notoriety and make money.
Background to the case
The couple first sued in summer 2025 in Delaware. In late October a judge narrowed that case, ruling that Owens could not be held personally liable because the statute of limitations had expired, while the proceedings against her companies were allowed to continue.
The false claim
The claim at the centre of the case holds that Brigitte Macron, born Trogneux, never existed and that her brother Jean-Michel took on her identity after transitioning. The filing says it is false. The idea has resurfaced regularly on social media in France since Macron's first election in 2017, but it gained international reach after a podcaster took it up in March 2024. A video series titled "Becoming Brigitte" has given it worldwide exposure since January 2025.
The filing and the reaction
The complaint runs to more than 400 pages and lists 88 cases. It argues that the claims were aimed at notoriety rather than truth, and says the lies caused immense damage to the couple, describing an international campaign of humiliation. Owens responded on X on Monday, 9 November, writing that the Macrons had filed a new complaint against her.
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Sources and context
- Le TempsEmmanuel and Brigitte Macron file a new complaint against Candace OwensEmmanuel et Brigitte Macron portent de nouveau plainte contre Candace Owens · original in French
- MediapartNew legal proceedings by the Macron couple against an American influencerNouvelles poursuites des époux Macron contre une influenceuse américaine · original in French
- Emmanuel Macron
- President of France who, with his wife Brigitte, filed the new defamation complaint against Candace Owens
- Brigitte Macron
- Wife of Emmanuel Macron and co-plaintiff in the defamation suits against Candace Owens
- Candace Owens
- US influencer and defendant in the Macrons' defamation complaints, who responded on X
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