French President Emmanuel Macron and French First Lady Brigitte Macron sued Candace Owens for the second time, this time in a lawsuit filed in the Middle District of Tennessee, over the claims by Owens that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman.
The case stems from the same allegations originally made in the lawsuit the Macrons filed in Delaware in July 2025, in which they allege that Owens, through her companies, defamed Brigitte Macron by claiming she was born male, assumed another person’s identity, and concealed her past.
It additionally accuses Owens of falsely claiming the Macrons are blood relatives engaged in incest, that Emmanuel Macron was installed as the French President as the result of CIA mind control, and that there was complete fraud, forgery, and abuse of power against investigators in order to conceal their supposed secrets.
While the Delaware lawsuit remains active, Delaware Superior Court Judge Sheldon Ronnie said last month that he lacked jurisdiction over Owens, who lives in Nashville. Democratic Governor John Carney appointed Ronnie in 2018.
The new lawsuit, which was filed last week, repeats many of the same allegations against Owens personally but expands on them by citing more statements allegedly made on her podcast after the Delaware litigation began.
According to the lawsuit, these include statements Owens made as recently as last month. It also cites her celebration of the October 27 decision by Ronnie to dismiss the lawsuit against her in her individual capacity, and argues that she has profited from the lawsuit through merchandise, sales, donations, and increased viewership.
Clare Locke LLP, a Virginia-based law firm specializing in high-profile defamation lawsuits, represents the Macrons. They previously represented Dominion Voting Systems in its lawsuit against Fox News, which resulted in a $787.5 million legal settlement in 2023.
Owens’ legal team for the Delaware lawsuit includes renowned First Amendment attorney Daniel Horwitz, a Tennessee lawyer who previously represented The Tennessee Star Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy in a matter related to his public records lawsuit to obtain the writings by Covenant School killer Audrey Hale.
She has also retained California-based attorney Noah Balch and attorneys from the Delaware firm Richards, Layton and Finger.
The Tennessee lawsuit has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
This marks the second major lawsuit Owens faces in Tennessee, where she was also sued this year by Brian Harpole, the former head of security to Charlie Kirk.
Harpole was mentioned by a guest on Owens’ podcast, Mitch Snow, who claimed he witnessed the security professional at a secret meeting held at a military base one day before Kirk was assassinated. Harpole has since produced flight records indicating he was in a different state.
Judge William L. Campbell Jr. signed an order in July recusing magistrate and district judges in the Middle District of Tennessee from the case, meaning the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will need to designate an outside judge to handle it.
In August, Owens filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
