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Buzz Feed
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Lawsuit Targets Owens for Macron Conspiracy Claims
Hot Topic 🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Politics French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have hit far-right influencer Candace Owens with a defamation lawsuit over her false claims that Brigitte Macron is male. In a suit filed on Wednesday in Delaware, the Macrons allege that Owens has profited from a 'campaign of global humiliation' against the Macrons, the complaint said. In a March 2024 podcast, Owens said she 'would stake [her] entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man,' according to the lawsuit. Despite attempts to stop Owens from spreading the conspiracy ― including a retraction letter sent by the Macrons ― she instead 'helmed an eight-part podcast series entitled 'Becoming Brigitte' (the 'Series') and accompanying X posts,' the lawsuit said. As part of the series, Owens fired off a series of 'outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions.' More from the lawsuit: These outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions included that Mrs. Macron was born a man, stole another person's identity, and transitioned to become Brigitte; Mrs. Macron and President Macron are blood relatives committing incest; President Macron was chosen to be the President of France as part of the CIA-operated MKUltra program or a similar mind-control program; and Mrs. Macron and President Macron are committing forgery, fraud, and abuses of power to conceal these secrets. The Macrons allege Owens has turned their lives 'into fodder for profit-driven lies,' the complaint said. 'Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history — twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade,' the lawsuit said. 'The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale.' Owens, a notorious conspiracy theorist who has been banned entry to Australia and New Zealand over her hateful rhetoric, has previously amplified a conspiracy about Jews being 'drunk on Christian blood,' a reference to a false, centuries-old antisemitic trope. And in July of last year, Owens suggested on her podcast that the horrific experiments Nazi physician Josef Mengele conducted on twins at Holocaust death camps never happened, in part because it would be a 'tremendous waste of time and supplies.' 'That just sounds like bizarre propaganda,' she concluded. The lawsuit against her does not specify the amount of damages the Macrons are seeking. Owens has not responded to the lawsuit, but did respond Tuesday to news that Brigitte Macron was suing the author of the book that first brought the baseless conspiracy to a mass audience.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
French president, first lady sue Nashville influencer Candace Owens for 'relentless bullying'
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware on July 23 against right-wing influencer and Nashville resident Candace Owens over her recent video series claiming that France's first lady is biologically male. The Macrons said in a lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court that Owens has waged a lie-filled "campaign of global humiliation" and "relentless bullying" to promote her podcast and expand her "frenzied" fan base. The filings are referring to a 6-part video series Owens began earlier this year titled 'Becoming Brigitte,' in which Owens accuses Brigitte Macron, 72, of being born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux—the actual name of her older brother. The lawsuit accuses Owens of spreading 'outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions' such as Brigitte Macron being a man who 'stole another person's identity, and transitioned to become Brigitte; Mrs. Macron and President Macron are blood relatives committing incest; President Macron was chosen to be the President of France as part of the CIA-operated MKUltra program or a similar mind-control program; and Mrs. Macron and President Macron are committing forgery, fraud, and abuses of power to conceal these secrets.' "Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications," the complaint said. "It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust." The 22-count complaint seeks an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a jury trial. The Macrons are being represented by Clare Lock, a boutique defamation law firm that settled against Fox News in 2023 on behalf of Dominion voting systems following the network's claims of Dominion rigging the 2020 election. In a video livestreamed on her YouTube channel Wednesday afternoon, Owens announced that she had been 'sued by the first lady man of France.' 'This is just goofy,' she said. Conservative-media: Is Nashville the nation's new conservative-media nerve center? Owens went on to call the lawsuit an 'obvious and desperate public relations strategy,' and recommended that Macron fire 'everyone' who told her it was a 'very good idea' to be the first sitting first lady of a foreign country to 'file a lawsuit against a journalist of another country.' 'You are literally making history in all the wrong ways,' she said. Owens, who moved to Nashville in 2020, previously teased a second season of the video series, claiming to have information that could force Emmanuel Macron to 'step down.' 'My series has been the undoing of them,' she said. Wednesday's lawsuit is a rare case of a world leader suing for defamation. President Donald Trump has filed multiple defamation lawsuits, including against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal last week. To prevail in U.S. defamation cases, public figures like the Macrons and Trump must show defendants engaged in "actual malice," meaning they knew what they published was false or had reckless disregard for its truth. Reuters reporters Jonathan Stempel and Michel Rose contributed to this report. The USA TODAY Network - The South region's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@ by phone at 931-623-9485, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville influencer Candace Owens sued by French president
Global News
a day ago
- Politics
- Global News
France's Macron sues U.S. media personality for claiming his wife is a man
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing media personality Candace Owens over her claims that the French first lady was born a man. The Macrons said in a lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court that Owens has waged a lie-filled 'campaign of global humiliation' and 'relentless bullying' to promote her podcast and expand her 'frenzied' fan base. The couple said the lies included that Brigitte Macron, 72, was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the actual name of her older brother. 'These outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions included that Mrs. Macron was born a man, stole another person's identity, and transitioned to become Brigitte; Mrs. Macron and President Macron are blood relatives committing incest; President Macron was chosen to be the President of France as part of the CIA-operated MKUltra program or a similar mind-control program; and Mrs. Macron and President Macron are committing forgery, fraud, and abuses of power to conceal these secrets,' the lawsuit read. Story continues below advertisement Brigitte Macron was previously Brigitte Auzière, a 39-year-old married mother of three children, when she met Macron, who was 15 at the time, at his high school in 1993. She was a teacher and supervised the drama club where Macron was a member. He moved to Paris for his last year of high school, but promised to marry Brigitte. She later moved to the French capital to join him, and divorced before they finally married in 2007. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In January, Owens dedicated an eight-part podcast series called Becoming Brigitte, in which she alleged the first lady groomed Macron from a young age. 'I believe that Emmanuel Macron is a homosexual man that was groomed from his youth,' Owens said in one of the eight episodes. 'I believe the individual who groomed him is now his wife. I believe that his wife was born Jean‑Michel Trogneux and transitioned in his early 30s, and I believe that the entire state is colluding to protect that secret,' she added. Owens also said that she would 'stake my entire professional career on all of those points.' Story continues below advertisement The French leader and his wife's lawsuit said that Owens' lies 'have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons.' 'Defendants have subjected the Macrons to a campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies,' the complaint said. 'Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history—twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade.' 'The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale. Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications,' the complaint continued. 'It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust.' The lawsuit says that Owens labels herself as 'an independent 'investigative journalist' while routinely peddling misinformation under the guise of legitimate reporting.' The complaint alleges that Owens 'has promoted a range of conspiracy theories' and claims that her content 'is not intended to inform but to inflame and attract attention through sensationalism and conspiracy theories.' 'Faced with this relentless and unjustified smear campaign, the Macrons are left with no choice but to seek relief through this Court to set the record straight, prevent further harm, and hold Defendants accountable for their conduct,' the complaint added. Story continues below advertisement In response to the lawsuit, Owens posted a photo of the Macrons on Instagram, writing, 'I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned.' View image in full screen A screenshot of Candace Owen's Instagram Stories. @RealCandaceOwens / Instagram The French leader and his wife are seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages against Owens and her business entities. The lawsuit also demands a jury trial. —With files from Reuters and The Associated Press
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Macrons sue Candace Owens over claims first lady was born a man
France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States on Wednesday against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, accusing her of spreading false rumours that the first lady is a man. In the suit filed in the Delaware Superior Court, the Macrons said Owens had waged a "campaign of global humiliation" and "relentless bullying" for personal gain to promote her podcast. The Macrons said one of the lies repeated by Owens includes that Brigitte Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is the name of her brother. It also accuses Owens of falsely claiming that Emmanuel Macron was installed as president of France as part of a secret CIA plot. "These outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions included that Mrs Macron was born a man, stole another person's identity, and transitioned to become Brigitte; Mrs Macron and President Macron are blood relatives committing incest; President Macron was chosen to be the President of France as part of the CIA-operated MKUltra program or a similar mind-control program; and Mrs Macron and President Macron are committing forgery, fraud, and abuses of power to conceal these secrets," the lawsuit says. The 22-count complaint is also seeking unspecified damages. The suit is a rare instance of a world leader suing for defamation. US President Donald Trump has filed multiple defamation lawsuits, including one last week against The Wall Street Journal. To win a defamation case in the US, public figures like the Macrons must be able to show that defendants engaged in "actual malice," meaning they knew that comments they had published were false. Neither Owens nor the Macrons have commented on the lawsuit. This is not the first time Brigitte Macron has sued for defamation over claims she was born male. In 2021, she filed suit against two women, Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey, for spreading the transgender rumours online which subsequently went viral. A lower court ordered both women to pay damages to both Macron and her brother, but that case ended up back in the headlines earlier this year after Macron took the case to the country's highest appeals court after the Paris appeals court overturned the conviction.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
French president and wife sue rightwing US commentator Candace Owens for defamation
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Brigitte Macron, are suing rightwing commentator Candace Owens for defamation. In a suit filed on Wednesday in Delaware against Owens and her businesses, the Macrons say Owens has engaged in ongoing defamatory attacks against them in order to elevate her media platform, gain more audience and make money. Owens said in early 2024 that she would 'stake [her] entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man'. Since then, she has doubled down on these claims and added more, including in an eight-part podcast series called Becoming Brigitte, the lawsuit alleges. The Macrons sought retractions from Owens, the suit says, for the 'demonstrably false' claims she has made about them but she instead 'mocked them and used them as additional fodder for her frenzied fan base'. 'These outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions included that Mrs Macron was born a man, stole another person's identity, and transitioned to become Brigitte; Mrs Macron and President Macron are blood relatives committing incest; President Macron was chosen to be the President of France as part of the CIA-operated MKUltra program or a similar mind-control program; and Mrs Macron and President Macron are committing forgery, fraud, and abuses of power to conceal these secrets.' '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,' the Macrons said in a statement. '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.' The falsehoods have taken a toll on the Macrons, who are now subjected to 'a campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies' and 'relentless bullying on a worldwide scale'. Beyond the reputational damage, they have spent 'considerable sums of money to correct the public record', including on legal counsel. 'Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications. It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust,' the suit says. According to the Financial Times, the Macrons are willing to appear in court in Delaware for a trial. They are represented by Clare Locke, a heavyweight law firm that has won major defamation cases, including the Dominion lawsuit against Fox News. The lawsuit came after the Macrons have sent three separate retraction demands to Owens that included evidence disproving her claims, which she has used to 'further taunt the Macrons' and 'invent even more damaging lies', a press release from Locke says. Owens has not yet publicly responded to the claims and didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Solve the daily Crossword
