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French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, are suing conservative commentator Candace Owens, accusing her of pushing "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions" about their family.
On Wednesday (July 23), the Macrons filed a lawsuit against Owens, outlining 22 counts of alleged defamation, false light, and defamation by implication, per ABC News.
"Ms. Owens' campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety. We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused," the Macrons said in a statement. "It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all."
According to the Macrons, Owens has pushed several false statements about their family online, including a claim that Brigitte was born a man. The family accused Owens of using false claims "to promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money."
Owens also previously claimed that the French president and his wife are secretly "blood relatives."
"These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were false when she published them," their complaint states. "Yet, she published them anyway. And the reason is clear: it is not the pursuit of truth, but the pursuit of fame."
In a statement, Owens said she's "not shutting up" despite the lawsuit that she says amounts to a "foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist."
"Candace repeatedly requested an interview with Brigitte Macron," a spokesperson for Owens said in a statement. "Instead of offering a comment, Brigitte is resorting to trying to bully a reporter into submission. In France, politicians can bully journalists, but this is not France. It's America."
According to the suit, Owens' claims have caused "tremendous damage" to the Macrons and subjected them to "a campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies."
"The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale," the complaint states. "Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications. It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust."
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