Macrons Sue Candace Owens Over Claim That France’s First Lady Was Born a Man
The couple accuses Owens of publishing ‘outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions’ to ‘promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money.’
President Macron and his wife Brigette are taking an American political commentator, Candace Owens, to court for championing a conspiracy theory about the biological sex of France’s first lady.
The defamation lawsuit was filed in Delaware on Wednesday and accuses Ms. Owens of publishing “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” about the Macrons “to promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money.”
The 218-page complaint references various theories that Ms. Owens has shared in posts on X, including that Mrs. Macron was born a man under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux.
The lawsuit claims that Ms. Owens retaliated against the couple after they sent her a retraction demand by publishing an eight-part series about the couple on YouTube that contained additional “false and devastating lies about the Macrons.”
The series, “Becoming Brigitte,” has racked up more than 2.3 million views and includes theories about the Macrons being blood relatives — and thus engaging in an incestuous relationship — and claims that Mr. Macron was chosen to be president as part of a CIA “mind-control program.”
“These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were false when she published them. Yet, she published them anyway. And the reason is clear: it is not the pursuit of truth, but the pursuit of fame,” the complaint argues.
The lawsuit states that the Macrons have “suffered substantial reputational damage” as a result of Ms. Owens’s allegations and have spent “considerable sums of money to correct the public record.” The suit seeks damages against Ms. Owens and her companies, which are incorporated in Delaware.
As per any defamation lawsuit, the Macrons will be required to demonstrate that Ms. Owens acted with “actual malice” against them, meaning that she knew the information she was sharing was false but chose to publish it anyway.
The lawsuit marks an unusual instance of a sitting world leader taking action against an internet influencer’s content. The Macrons’ lawyer, Thomas Clare, told the Financial Times that the couple is willing to travel to Delaware to appear in person for the trial.
