Samantha Markle’s libel lawsuit against Meghan Markle contains “baseless claims rooted in unverified speculation and conjecture,” according to a key figure in the case.
Christopher Bouzy, chief executive of data analysis firm Bot Sentinel, was interviewed as part of Netflix series Harry & Meghan, in which he accused Samantha of engaging with social media accounts that troll the duchess.
Samantha has since filed a new version of a long-running defamation case against her half-sister in which she alleges Bouzy is Meghan’s “associate and agent,” a claim he has denied.
A filing by her lawyers, seen by Newsweek, reads: “Meghan was far more than a subject on the Netflix series, but she was a producer with control of the publication. In it, she used her associate and agent, Christopher Bouzy (hereinafter referred to as “Bouzy”) to make additional false and disparaging statements about her own flesh and blood.
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“Although Meghan now claims that he was not her agent or employed by her,
there is evidence to refute this contention. Nevertheless, the publication was by Meghan. Irrespective of whether she was the actual author of the statements, she was, indeed, the publisher.”
The evidence referenced relates to a profile in tech publication The Information which suggested that Meghan had paid Bot Sentinel, though Bouzy has said they have since changed their copy to remove the claim.
He told Newsweek: “This complaint falsely asserts that Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, compensated Bot Sentinel for our research and that I publicly acknowledged receiving such payment.
“These allegations are nothing more than baseless claims rooted in unverified speculation and conjecture.
“I have not once declared, whether in a public or private capacity, that Meghan Markle or anyone associated with Meghan Markle has financially compensated either Bot Sentinel or myself.
“Furthermore, every statement documented in our reports and included in the Netflix docuseries was corroborated by Twitter and independently verified by reputable news agencies.
“I recommend that Samantha Markle’s legal team direct their creative energies to more constructive outlets rather than drafting plots more fitting for a tabloid or daytime soap opera,” he said.
Meghan’s legal team have also suggested they will challenge Samantha’s claim about Bouzy being her agent.
A filing seen by Newsweek reads: “Meghan’s reply will establish why this ‘evidence’ is not only inadmissible in this posture, but is contradicted by the very exhibit Plaintiff attached to her opposition.”
Samantha’s lawyers described the allegedly defamatory statements: “(1) Meghan was falsely saying that Samantha did not know her. (2) She was an only child, (3) hadn’t seen her in 18 years, and most importantly, another untruthful and damaging statement, that (4) Samantha “changed her surname back to ‘Markle’ when [I] started dating Prince Harry. . . and so I think that says enough.”
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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