US court dismisses Mariah Carey’s brother’s defamation lawsuit — Rolling Stone

A New York state court in the United States dismissed the remaining claims in the lawsuit filed by Morgan Carey, singer Mariah Carey’s brother. He accused her of defamation over the memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, published in 2020. Judge Leslie A. Stroh issued the ruling on Monday, Rolling Stone reports.

The singer’s brother’s lawsuit

Morgan Carey filed the lawsuit on May 28, 2021. He claimed that his sister damaged his reputation by portraying him as prone to violence, stating that he was involved in cocaine trafficking, and mentioning his behavioral problems in childhood.

The plaintiff also claimed that Mariah Carey relied on information from their late mother and that the book’s commercial success allegedly mattered more to her than verifying the statements presented. In the lawsuit, he stated that the damages, in his view, exceeded $20 million.

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The court’s and parties’ positions

The judge concluded that Morgan Carey had not proved the existence of actual malice on the part of his sister when the challenged statements were published. Under New York state law, a public figure in defamation cases must prove that the defendant published a false statement knowing it was false or with reckless disregard for the truth.

In the court’s view, the deterioration of the relationship between brother and sister does not in itself prove this standard. Mariah Carey’s attorney, John Rosenberg, told Billboard that the ruling confirms the need for broad protection of authors who speak on matters of public interest. Morgan Carey’s attorney, Richard Altman, told Rolling Stone that the plaintiff’s side disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal it in the near future.