The news: French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have taken a US influencer to court, escalating their fight against widely circulated false claims about the first lady’s identity.
According to media reports citing court documents, the Macrons filed their lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, centred on her claim that France’s first lady “is in fact a man”.
The Financial Times says, the 218-page complaint accuses Owens of publishing “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” including that Brigitte was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her older brother.
The context: Owens, a conservative activist with millions of followers on Instagram and YouTube, is married to former Parler chief executive George Farmer.
The case centres on Becoming Brigitte, an eight-part series Owens released this year, along with related social media content.
The Macrons say Owens has “used [a] false statement” about Brigitte’s gender “to promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money”, and accuse her of “relentless bullying” and a “campaign of global humiliation”.
The numbers: The series has received more than 2.3 million views on YouTube. The couple is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Owens has not responded to requests for comment from the FT and Reuters.
By Joseph Ataman, Saskya Vandoorne | CNN Paris (CNN) — French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing podcaste...