Mariah Carey won a legal victory over her brother, Morgan Carey, after a judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit over her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.
Morgan, 66, filed suit against his superstar sister back in 2021, alleging that Mariah, 57, had defamed him in the book by accusing him of trafficking “powdered party favors” — a reference to cocaine — and claiming that he had done prison time, per Rolling Stone and Billboard.
On Monday, October 19, Judge Leslie A. Stroth ruled that Morgan had failed to establish that Mariah had acted with actual malice in her memoir. Under New York law, plaintiffs in defamation cases against public figures must reasonably demonstrate the defendant made a defamatory statement knowing it was false and could cause damage.
“The Court finds that Plaintiff has not sufficiently pleaded actual malice on the part of Defendant,” the judge wrote in a Monday ruling. “Plaintiff has alleged that Defendant was more concerned with the ‘commercial viability’ of her memoir than verifying the truth of her statements, and that Defendant’s sources for such statements are anonymous and/or unverifiable. Notably, Plaintiff fails to provide any proof that Defendant made such statements with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth.”
Mariah’s attorney, John Rosenberg, told Billboard on Monday, “Ms. Carey is gratified that the Court recognized that her memoir addresses significant issues of public interest and dismissed her brother’s defamation claims in their entirety.”
“Ms. Carey believes the importance of the Court’s decision goes well beyond her own interests in this particular litigation as it confirms that authors must be afforded broad protection when they speak out on matters of public concern,” Rosenberg added.
Morgan’s lawyer told Rolling Stone that the star’s sibling plans to appeal.
“We respectfully disagree with today’s decision as being completely inconsistent with prior rulings in the case,” lawyer Richard Altman told the outlet on Monday. “We intend to appeal it very soon.”
Mariah was the youngest of three siblings shared by her parents, Alfred and Patricia Carey, who died in 2022 and 2024, respectively. As well as Morgan, she had an older sister, Alison, who also died in 2024.
In August 2024, Mariah mourned the deaths of her sister and mother, whom she said died on the same day.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,” the “We Belong Together” songstress confirmed in a statement at the time. “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” Mariah continued. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”