Mariah Carey wins dismissal of brother’s $20m memoir lawsuit

Mariah Carey has won dismissal of her brother’s $20m defamation lawsuit over her memoir, though appeal is planned

Mariah Carey has won a legal victory in her five-year dispute with her brother Morgan Carey after a New York judge dismissed his $20 million defamation lawsuit over claims made in her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.

In a ruling issued on Monday, New York State Supreme Court Justice Leslie A. Stroth found that Morgan had failed to establish that the singer acted with “actual malice” when making statements about him in the 2020 book.

Morgan filed the lawsuit in May 2021, alleging that the memoir damaged his reputation by portraying him as a violent man and a “sometimes” drug dealer. He sought damages exceeding $20 million, according to the original filing.

“Plaintiff has not sufficiently pleaded actual malice on the part of [Mariah],” Justice Stroth wrote in the decision. “Plaintiff fails to provide any proof that [Mariah] made such statements with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth.”

The judge added that Morgan’s allegations of ill will towards him were insufficient to satisfy the legal requirement for establishing actual malice.

Carey’s lawyer, John Rosenberg, welcomed the ruling in a statement to Rolling Stone, saying the court had recognised the public interest in the memoir and dismissed the claims in their entirety.

“[Mariah] believes the importance of the court’s decision goes well beyond her own interests in this particular litigation, as it confirms that authors must be afforded broad protection when they speak out on matters of public concern,” Rosenberg said.

However, the dispute may continue. Richard Altman, Morgan’s lawyer, said his client disagreed with the decision and intended to appeal.

“We respectfully disagree with today's decision as being completely inconsistent with prior rulings in the case. We intend to appeal it very soon,” Altman told the outlet.

The planned appeal could extend the legal dispute over the singer’s memoir and the statements her brother claims harmed his reputation.