Judge narrows Macron suit, lets Owens firms proceed

Judge Sheldon Rennie dismissed the Macrons' personal defamation claims against Candace Owens on Oct. 27, 2026. Delaware Superior Court found no jurisdiction over the Tennessee resident. The July 2025 suit can proceed for now against Candace Owens LLC and Georgetom Inc. The Macrons allege Owens falsely claimed Brigitte Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux and spread related claims in the eight-part podcast Becoming Brigitte. Owens thanked the judge, saying the case represents "one of the grossest legal overreaches by a foreign government leader in human history." WHAT'S CONTESTED The Macrons said in a joint statement that "Ms. Owens's campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety" after three refused retraction demands. Their complaint said the result is "relentless bullying on a worldwide scale." Owens told her podcast the lawsuit "is littered with factual inaccuracies" and an "obvious and desperate public relations strategy." Rennie deferred ruling on the companies until the parties brief how French defamation law and statutes of limitation intersect with U.S. law.