Overview

• Brigitte Macron, her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux and the public prosecutor have filed cassation appeals after the Paris Court of Appeal acquitted Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy on July 10.
• The appeal court overturned their September 2024 convictions and fines, finding most allegations did not meet France’s legal definition of defamation and that a sole minor abduction claim fell under good-faith protection.
• In the initial judgment, the defendants were sentenced to suspended fines of €500 each and ordered to pay €8,000 to Brigitte Macron and €5,000 to her brother in damages.
• The case centers on a baseless narrative claiming Brigitte Macron is transgender and that her brother assumed her identity, a rumor amplified since 2017 and propelled by a four-hour 2021 YouTube interview.
• The Court of Cassation’s decision will set important precedent on the threshold for defamation liability and the scope of good-faith defenses in cases of persistent online disinformation.