The key facts

  • A Delaware judge removed personal liability from Candace Owens but left the lawsuit against her companies Candace Owens LLC and GeorgeTom Inc. in place.
  • The reason cited was lack of jurisdiction: Owens lives in Tennessee.
  • The court applied the French statute of limitations for defamation cases — usually three months, with a possible extension to one year.

The lawsuit against Owens personally has been dismissed, while the case against the companies continues

Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a lawsuit in July 2025 against right-wing blogger Candace Owens and two companies, accusing her of spreading false claims that the wife of the French president is a transgender woman. Owens — an influencer with a large social media following — claimed that Brigitte Macron is a man; the topic of the president's wife's gender had been surrounded by conspiracy theories in France for years.

The court ruling

On Tuesday, Delaware Superior Court Judge Sheldon Rennie ruled that Owens cannot be held personally liable because the court lacks personal jurisdiction over her — she resides in another state, Tennessee.

Reaction and the statute of limitations

Owens welcomed the ruling in a statement on X:

A parallel case in France

Brigitte Macron, 72, has also turned to the courts in France. In September 2024, two women were convicted of spreading false claims after a YouTube video published in December 2021 alleged that Brigitte Macron had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux — in fact, that is her brother.