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Notes -
I did maybe 3 minutes of digging/following links and names. I guess the original allegation's source is basically some citizen-journalist nutjob with "three years" of research, popularized when they were hosted by a spirit medium/fortune teller YouTuber, and they already lost a more minor defamation case over the issue in France.
So basically Owens' main defense would normally be that she was just echoing other research/relating what she heard, but since she doubled down it seems like she's down to the last bit of the US law, which is if she displayed "actual malice" or not. My feeling is that this lawsuit is probably going to go against Owens, which is rare, but the situation at a glance appears to be more or less a textbook example of what a US court considers defamation. I disagree that she would have a good "just joking" defense because she isn't really a comedian. I guess you could try the Fox News "it's entertainment" but again - she doubled down and even allegedly referenced the cease and desists she got, so that weakens the attempt substantially.
It's a bit embarrassing to go to court over it, and risks of course a Streisand Effect, but I think there is probably some actual power in winning a court case to slow rumors like that. Or, Brigitte herself is annoyed enough - not to stereotype too much, but she is at that age where it's appealing to do something like this.
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