French President Macron, his wife face setback in defamation case against US influencer

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have suffered a setback in their defamation lawsuit against US conservative influencer Candace Owens. A US judge has ruled that Owens cannot be sued personally in the case, although the lawsuit against two companies linked to her can continue.

Macron and his wife filed the lawsuit against Owens and two companies linked to her in July 2025, accusing her of running what they called a lie-filled “campaign of global humiliation”. They alleged that Owens spread false claims and conspiracy theories, including that Brigitte Macron was born male, to promote her platform, gain attention and make money.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Sheldon Rennie ruled on Tuesday that the court did not have the authority to hear the case against Owens personally because she lives in Tennessee.

“The Court finds that it lacks personal jurisdiction over Ms Owens individually,” the judge said.

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The ruling means Owens’ personal assets would be protected if the Macrons eventually win the case. However, their lawsuit against Candace Owens LLC and GeorgeTom Inc. will proceed for now.

Owens, who has a large following on social media, welcomed the decision in a post on X.

“This case represents one of the grossest legal overreaches by a foreign government leader in human history,” she said.

The judge also ruled that French law on the time limit for filing defamation cases would apply. Such cases generally have a three-month limit in France, which can be extended to up to one year in special circumstances.

Brigitte Macron challenges claims in France

Brigitte Macron, 72, has also taken legal action in France over claims about her gender.

In September 2024, two women were convicted of spreading false claims after posting a YouTube video in December 2021 alleging that she had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux. The name actually belongs to her brother.