Overview

• Brigitte Macron and Jean-Michel Trogneux lodged appeals to the Court of Cassation after a Paris Court of Appeal acquitted Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy of 18 defamation charges.
• The appellate acquittal overturned a first-instance verdict that had convicted the women and ordered them to pay €8,000 to Macron and €5,000 to her brother.
• The rumor that the first lady is transgender emerged on social media following Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 election and was later amplified online.
• In a 2021 YouTube interview Rey, a self-described medium, and Roy, an independent journalist, labeled the theory a “farsa” and presented personal family details.
• The final appeal sets a precedent for how France’s highest court will handle defamation cases stemming from political disinformation.