Key Takeaways
- Mariah Carey defeated her brother Morgan Carey’s $20 million defamation lawsuit over claims in her bestselling memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.
- Judge Leslie A. Stroth ruled that Morgan failed to show Carey acted with “actual malice” when she described him as selling “powdered party favors” and having “been in the system.”
- Carey said she was “gratified” by the dismissal, while Morgan’s attorney called the ruling inconsistent with earlier decisions and confirmed plans to appeal.
Mariah Carey just won a $20 million legal battle against her own brother, and the family drama that fueled it is far from over. A New York judge has thrown out Morgan Carey's defamation lawsuit over explosive allegations in the singer's bestselling memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, bringing a five-year courtroom fight to a close—at least until Morgan gets his promised appeal underway.
In a ruling issued Monday, October 19, Judge Leslie A. Stroth determined that Morgan failed to establish that his sister acted with "actual malice" when she wrote about his alleged drug dealing and criminal history. According to Billboard, which first reported the decision, Morgan argued that Carey published damaging claims without adequately verifying them. But the judge found that his allegations did not meet the legal standard required to keep the case alive.
"Plaintiff fails to provide any proof that Defendant made such statements with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth," Stroth wrote.
Carey's attorney, John Rosenberg, celebrated the ruling, telling Billboard that the singer was "gratified" that the court dismissed her brother's claims in their entirety.
Rosenberg also framed the decision as a victory extending beyond his famous client, saying it confirms that authors deserve broad legal protections when addressing matters of public concern.
Morgan's attorney, Richard Altman, sees things differently.
"We respectfully disagree with today's decision as being inconsistent with prior rulings in the case," Altman told Billboard, confirming plans to appeal.
The dispute dates back to 2021, shortly after Carey's 2020 memoir reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Morgan initially challenged eight passages in which his sister revisited their turbulent upbringing, including a violent confrontation between Morgan and their father and references to his alleged connections within the music industry.
Two passages proved especially contentious.
Carey wrote that Morgan sold "powdered party favors" to nightclub patrons during the 1980s and claimed he had "been in the system." Morgan disputed those descriptions, arguing that they falsely portrayed him as a drug dealer and someone who had served prison time.
In 2022, Judge Barbara Jaffe dismissed most of his allegations but allowed those two claims to proceed. The case continued through years of litigation until Jaffe retired and Stroth took over the dispute. The new judge ultimately determined that Morgan's failure to sufficiently plead actual malice was grounds to dismiss the remaining claims.
The ruling arrives during another notable chapter for Carey. The singer recently put her famous Tribeca triplex on the market for $27 million, nearly three decades after purchasing the Manhattan residence that became pop culture history during her unforgettable 2002 appearance on MTV's Cribs.
