Meghan Markle's sister Samantha could face financial ruin if Duchess wins bitter legal battle
Meghan Markle has been accused of subjecting her sister to "ridicule, contempt and disgrace"
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Meghan Markle has been accused of subjecting her sister to "ridicule, contempt and disgrace" by portraying her as a "disgusting opportunist".
Samantha's lawyer Peter Ticktin claimed that Meghan had caused her “great harm” by claiming that she had changed her surname back to Markle to cash in on her half-sister's fame.
The elder daughter of Thomas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex's father, is seeking $75,000 (£57,000) in damages over claims made by Meghan and Harry in their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and the couple's biography Finding Freedom.
She has accused Meghan of telling "false and malicious lies" regarding a "rags-to-royalty story".
Samantha has also challenged the Duchess of Sussex's claim that she "grew up as an only child".
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Samantha has also challenged the Duchess of Sussex's claim that she "grew up as an only child".
However, a former US federal prosecutor Mitchel Epner has warned that Samantha could be set to pick up the bill of Meghan Markle's legal defence.
Epner, who now practices at the NYC firm Rottenberg Lipman Rich P.C told Express.co.uk: "If Meghan Markle is successful in dismissing, then under what’s called the anti-SLAPP, she would be in a position to get her legal fees paid for by the plaintiff."
He added: "The threat to Samantha Markle that she might end up having to pay Meghan Markle’s legal fees, which given how long this case has gone on, we’re clearly in excess of $100,000. That’s a significant threat to Samantha Markle."
The anti-SLAPP statute will only apply if Meghan win's the case on the initial motion to dismiss.
Epner continued: "I think it is possible that the entire case will be dismissed. The best piece of hope that Samantha Markle has is that earlier Meghan Markle had made a motion to stay discovery, meaning not have the case move forward because the case was going to be dismissed.
"And the judge said that some parts of this complaint seem like they could be dismissible - not everything is clearly dismissible on its face.
"That would give a plaintiff some hope that they’re going to survive the motion to dismiss. Here the judge has ordered the parties to mediation which has to take place by the end of June."
A Florida judge denied Meghan’s application to halt the discovery process pending a motion to have the case dismissed.
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Last month, a Florida judge denied Meghan’s application to halt the discovery process pending a motion to have the case dismissed.
In her ruling, Judge Honeywell wrote: "Defendant Markle does not show that unusual circumstances justify the requested stay, or that prejudice or an undue burden will result if the Court does not impose a stay.
"Although a preliminary peek at the motion to dismiss suggests that some of the claims against her may be ripe for dismissal, the review does not reveal, at this time, a clear indication that the Court will dismiss the action in its entirety.
"Thus, defendant Markle does not satisfy the high standard required to stay discovery pending the resolution of a dispositive motion."
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