Meghan Markle faces new court battle as half-sister Samantha 'readies revenge'

Meghan Markle might have to confront her half-sister Samantha in court once more, as the latter's legal team is gearing up to challenge the ruling that saw the duchess win.

During the Sussexes' infamous bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan stated she grew up mostly as an only child and mentioned that Samantha began using the Markle surname again "when I started dating Harry".

Samantha Markle's attorneys claimed in a civil lawsuit that Meghan's statements were "disparaging, hurtful, and false", suggesting that they painted Samantha as "a stranger, a liar, and... [a] deceptive fame-seeking imposter with avaricious intentions".

Despite Meghan's victory in the initial case, Samantha has escalated the matter to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal, where her lawyers must submit their opening brief by July, the Express reports.

According to a court document obtained by Newsweek, the crux of the upcoming legal argument is outlined: "Cumulative inferences and remarks made by [Meghan] have caused a cumulative meaning, which the court did not consider."

This indicates that Samantha's legal representatives will argue that the original judge didn't take into account the overall impact of Meghan's comments, instead of looking at them individually.

In the couple's 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the Duchess's words were: "I was with my mom during the week and with my dad on the weekends.

"And my dad lived alone, he had two adult children who had moved out of his house."

"I don't remember seeing her [Samantha] when I was a kid at my dad's house, if and when they would come around."

Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell initially dismissed the case, asserting Meghan "barely mentions [Samantha], to say only that at some point during [Meghan's] childhood, [Samantha] moved out of her father's house.

"It is not plausible that [Samantha] would be exposed to hatred, ridicule, or contempt as a result of this statement."

Nevertheless, Samantha's lawyers will reportedly argue in court that the Duchess endeavoured to build a "construct a broader attack" through a chain of mismatched interviews.

The legal team for the Duchess have suggested their intent to contest the appeal, contending that the judge followed standard protocol for what they perceive as a straightforward libel suit.

In their defence, they stated: "To the contrary, this is a garden-variety defamation action involving the application of well-established Eleventh Circuit precedent, which the District Court followed."

The dispute has been ongoing since March 2022, with Michael Kump, Meghan's lawyer, quashing claims by stating: "This baseless and absurd lawsuit is just a continuation of a pattern of disturbing behaviour. We will give it the minimum attention necessary, which is all it deserves."

Both Meghan and Harry are largely distanced from their extended family, maintaining regular contact only with her mother, Doria Ragland, from the Markle side.

Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.