Mariah Carey scores legal victory against brother in court as his defamation lawsuit over her memoir is dismissed

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By ADAM S. LEVY, US SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 06:57 BST, 20 October 2026 | Updated: 06:59 BST, 20 October 2026

Mariah Carey scored a legal victory Monday, as a judge dismissed a $20 million lawsuit filed against her by her brother Morgan Carey, who claimed that she had defamed him in her 2020 book The Meaning of Mariah Carey.

A ruling from New York State Supreme Court Judge Leslie A. Stroth reviewed by The Daily Mail stated that Morgan had fallen short in proving that Mariah had acted with 'actual malice,' in knowingly telling falsehoods.

Among the claims Morgan cited in his lawsuit over Mariah's book included allegations her sibling had in the past served prison time and sold cocaine. 

In one passage cited in the lawsuit, Mariah, 57, wrote Morgan had 'discreetly supplied the beautiful people with their powdered party favors;' Morgan had denied all of the claims Mariah made in her book. 

Judge Stroth said in her ruling that the court found Morgan 'has not sufficiently pleaded actual malice on the part of' Mariah, citing New York anti-SLAPP laws.

Morgan's claims Mariah 'was more concerned with the "commercial viability" of her memoir than verifying the truth of her statements' had fallen short of meeting the legal standard, the judge ruled. 

Mariah Carey, 57, scored a legal victory Monday as a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against her by her brother Morgan Carey, who claimed that she had defamed him in her 2020 book The Meaning of Mariah Carey. Pictured in May in NYC 

The judge said Morgan was unable to prove that Mariah had made statements based on information acquired from 'anonymous and/or unverifiable' sources; and that she 'made such statements with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth.'

Based off the shortcomings to prove actual malice, the judge fully dismissed the case.

The Daily Mail has reached out to legal representatives for both parties for further comment on the story.

Mariah Carey's lawyer John Rosenberg told Billboard that '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.'

Rosenberg said that the singer '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.'

Richard Altman, the lawyer who represented Morgan Carey in the case, said their camp was likely going to appeal Monday's dismissal of the case.

'We respectfully disagree with today's decision as being inconsistent with prior rulings in the case,' he told Billboard.

Morgan initially filed his lawsuit against the All I Want for Christmas Is You artist in 2021, citing eight different portions of the memoir in which he claimed he had been defamed.

The singer and her sibling were pictured at the American Music Awards in LA in 1991 

Carey pictured April 16 at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC 

Judge Barbara Jaffe, who had initially been assigned to the case, threw out 14 of the 16 claims Morgan made in 2022.

The judge, who allowed Morgan to proceed on the passages regarding narcotics and incarceration, retired in the years in which Morgan amended his legal complaint, at which point Judge Stroth was assigned the case.

Morgan, who has a background in fitness, has been largely estranged from his sister since 1994 during a row the siblings had.

The latest in the case comes more than two years after the family faced massive tragedy as their mother Patricia, 87, and sister Alison, 63, died on the same day on August 24, 2024.

Mariah subsequently issued a statement acknowledging losing two relatives on the same day.

'My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,' she said. '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. I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.'