Judge tosses Mariah Carey's brother's defamation suit over her memoir
A New York judge dismissed the defamation lawsuit Mariah Carey's brother Morgan filed over her 2020 memoir, TheWrap and Rolling Stone reported. The judge found he failed to show she acted with "actual malice." His lawyer said they plan to appeal.
Mariah Carey has won the dismissal of her brother Morgan Carey's defamation lawsuit over her 2020 memoir, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," ending for now a five-year legal fight, TheWrap and Rolling Stone reported.
In a ruling issued Monday, Justice Leslie Stroth of the New York State Supreme Court found that Morgan Carey failed to show that his sister acted with "actual malice" in the statements he challenged, TheWrap and Rolling Stone reported.
"Plaintiff fails to provide any proof that [Mariah] made such statements with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth," Stroth wrote, according to TheWrap and Rolling Stone. She wrote that his claims of ill will were "insufficient," TheWrap and Rolling Stone reported.
Morgan Carey filed the lawsuit in May 2021, claiming the singer damaged his reputation by portraying him as violent and as a "sometimes" drug dealer, TheWrap reported. He said his damages were "believed to exceed $20 million," Rolling Stone reported. He also claimed she relied on their late mother as a source and cared more about the book's sales than its accuracy, Rolling Stone reported.
Under New York's anti-SLAPP law, a plaintiff must show that a false statement was made knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth, Rolling Stone reported.
Mariah Carey "is gratified that the court recognized that her memoir addresses significant issues of public interest and dismissed her brother's defamation claims in their entirety," her lawyer, John Rosenberg, said, according to Rolling Stone and TheWrap. He said the ruling "confirms that authors must be afforded broad protection when they speak out on matters of public concern," Rolling Stone reported.
Morgan Carey's lawyer, Richard Altman, said, "We respectfully disagree with today's decision as being completely inconsistent with prior rulings in the case," Rolling Stone and TheWrap reported. "We intend to appeal it very soon," he said, according to Rolling Stone.
What we know: A New York judge dismissed Morgan Carey's remaining defamation claims against his sister on Monday.
What we don't: When an appeal will be filed and how an appeals court might rule.
Where outlets agree TheWrap and Rolling Stone report that Justice Leslie Stroth dismissed Morgan Carey's defamation claims over the memoir on Monday.
Where they differ Mariah Carey's lawyer says the ruling protects authors speaking on public issues, while Morgan Carey's lawyer says it is inconsistent with prior rulings and plans to appeal.