French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron have filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware against right-wing commentator Candace Owens, alleging that she orchestrated a “campaign of global humiliation” by falsely claiming Brigitte, 72, is a transgender woman and that the French president, 47, is part of a CIA mind control experiment.
The 218-page complaint, filed Wednesday in Delaware Superior Court, accuses Owens of using her social media platforms and podcast to spread knowingly false, transphobic conspiracy theories for profit. The Macrons are seeking compensatory and punitive damages and have requested a jury trial, according to Reuters.
Related: France's first lady Brigitte Macron awarded nearly $9,000 in damages after transvestigation
The lawsuit centers on Owens’ eight-part YouTube series Becoming Brigitte, which has garnered more than 2.3 million views, and includes repeated assertions that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, her actual brother’s name. Owens also claimed the Macrons are blood relatives and described Emmanuel Macron as the result of a CIA human experimentation program, a reference to the debunked MKUltra project, according to The Financial Times.
“Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications,” the lawsuit states. The complaint describes Owens’s conduct as “invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust.”
The lawsuit notes that Owens ignored multiple cease-and-desist letters and continued amplifying the claims. “Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history — twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade,” the Macrons wrote in their filing.
Related: Right-winger Candace Owens promotes 'terrifying' theory that France's first lady is trans
“Faced with this relentless and unjustified smear campaign, the Macrons are left with no choice but to seek relief through this Court to set the record straight, prevent further harm, and hold Defendants accountable for their conduct,” the lawsuit states.
Attorney Thomas Clare, representing the couple, told FT that they are prepared to travel to Delaware to testify. “They believe it’s important to stand up for themselves,” he said. “Owens has had multiple opportunities to do the right thing and in response she has only mocked them.”
A spokesperson for Owens, who has a long history of spreading misinformation about transgender people and LGBTQ+ issues, told the publication she would respond on her podcast Wednesday.
It is not Brigitte Macron’s first legal battle over false transphobic claims. In September, a French court awarded her nearly $9,000 in damages after conspiracy theorists falsely claimed she was her brother and had transitioned. Although she initially won in court, the decision was later overturned on appeal.