Delaware judge shields Candace Owens from personal liability in Macron defamation case
A Delaware judge has ruled that Candace Owens cannot be sued personally in the defamation case brought by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. The case can continue against two Delaware-registered companies linked to Owens, but any eventual judgment against them could not be assigned to her, potentially protecting her personal assets.
The Macrons filed the lawsuit in July last year, alleging Owens used false claims about Brigitte Macron to attract attention and make money. These included the unfounded assertion that she was born male, under her brother’s name, and claims about the couple’s marriage and family. The judge has postponed ruling on Owens’s request to dismiss the wider case while seeking further arguments about how French defamation law and limitation periods apply in the US. Separately, a French court found ten people guilty of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron over similar claims.
In short
- Owens cannot currently be sued personally in Delaware.
- The case against two companies linked to her can proceed.
- The judge is still considering issues involving French law.
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The case for
The ruling can be defended as respecting the distinction between a person and the companies through which she operates: ownership or association alone should not make someone personally liable for a company’s alleged conduct. Keeping the claims alive against the companies also allows the Macrons to pursue their case while requiring them to establish a legal basis for reaching Owens’s personal assets.
The case against
The Macrons can argue that shielding Owens personally may leave them without an effective remedy if, as they allege, she herself used the claims to gain attention and income. They may contend that where a person allegedly directs or benefits from the conduct, corporate separation should not prevent a court from examining whether personal liability is justified; the judge has not yet ruled on whether the wider case can proceed.
Explained simply
Emmanuel Macron is France’s president, and Brigitte Macron is his wife. Candace Owens is an American commentator who has discussed claims about Brigitte Macron’s identity, marriage and family; the Macrons say those claims are false and have sued over them.
The case is being heard in Delaware, where two companies linked to Owens are registered. It concerns whether statements about a person are defamatory, meaning legally damaging false claims, and which people or organisations can be held responsible. The dispute also raises questions about how French defamation rules apply in a US court.
The case matters because it tests the boundaries of personal liability and the reach of defamation law across countries. A separate French case about similar claims resulted in convictions for cyberbullying.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Brigitte Macron’s defamation lawsuit against Candace Owens over ludicrous transgender claim suffers first legal defeat”.