Overview
- Appeals court judges found that the 18 video excerpts under consideration did not constitute defamation and were protected as good-faith expression.
- A lower court had convicted Roy and Rey in September 2024, ordering them to pay €8,000 to Macron and €5,000 to her brother before the appeal decision nullified those damages.
- The conspiracy theory originated from a four-hour YouTube broadcast in December 2021 and resurfaced in January 2025 when American commentator Candace Owens revived the allegations.
- Brigitte Macron retains the option to appeal the ruling to France’s Court of Cassation for a final judicial review.
- Four men, including publicist Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, face a planned October 2025 cyber-harassment trial for alleged online abuse of the first lady.