After more than five years, a legal fight between Mariah Carey and her brother has reached a major turning point. A New York judge ruled on Monday that Morgan Carey had failed to sufficiently establish “actual malice” in his defamation case against the singer. His side says the fight isn’t over.
What the lawsuit was about
How the case unfolded
Most of his claims were dismissed in 2022, but two passages, relating to alleged drug dealing and imprisonment, were allowed to proceed. The case then stalled in long litigation, as he tried to revive earlier dismissed claims in an amended complaint, and it was reassigned to Judge Leslie A. Stroth after another judge retired.
What the judge said
What each side said
What the ruling doesn’t say
The judge didn’t rule on whether every statement in the book is true. The decision was about whether Morgan could meet the legal standard for proving defamation, not a finding on the family’s history.
A second family lawsuit
The singer’s late older sister, Alison Carey, filed a separate lawsuit a month before Morgan did. That case is not the subject of this ruling.
Bottom line
Mariah Carey has won this round, but an appeal is expected. The ruling shows how hard it is to win a defamation case when the other side is a public figure writing about matters of public interest.
