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Have there been legal responses (defamation suits or demands for retraction) to Owens' claims about Erica Kearney?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows multiple high‑profile defamation threats and at least one filed suit against Candace Owens over other claims (the Macrons’ 22‑count defamation suit), and reporting also documents lawyers threatening or planning defamation claims tied to separate controversies involving other people named Kearney/Erika in different stories (not all directly connecting to Owens). Coverage about legal responses specifically to Owens’ claims about “Erica/Erika Kearney” is sparse and inconsistent in the provided sources; several pieces note rumors or threats that legal action “may” be pursued but do not show a filed defamation suit against Owens over those particular claims [1] [2] [3].
1. Big picture: Owens has been sued for defamation — but for different allegations
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron filed a 22‑count defamation lawsuit in Delaware against Candace Owens over her repeated public claim that Brigitte Macron was born male; that case is well documented in multiple outlets (NYT, Axios, Politico, BBC, NPR) and the suit alleges Owens ignored repeated retraction requests before the filing [4] [1] [5] [6] [7].
2. What the Macron litigation shows about retraction demands and escalation
Reporting says the Macrons’ legal team repeatedly requested retractions and ultimately chose court as the remedy, alleging Owens “systematically reaffirmed” the falsehoods and that the suit catalogs multiple defamatory allegations from an eight‑episode series called “Becoming Brigitte” [4] [8] [9]. Axios and Al Jazeera note Owens and her spokesperson framed the suit as an attack on her free‑speech rights and vowed to respond on her platforms [1] [10].
3. Claims about “Erica/Erika Kearney” — reporting shows rumors and threats, not a clearly filed suit in these sources
Several items in the search results raise questions or note talk of legal action against Owens or her associates relating to allegations about individuals named Erika/Erica (rumors that Erika Kirk might sue over plane‑tracking or assassination conspiracy theories, or that witnesses might sue a Turtleboy blogger and Karen Read involving a different Kearney). But the available articles in these search results either frame the legal response as a rumor, a threat, or as “planned” rather than documenting a completed, filed defamation suit specifically naming Owens over claims about Erica/Erika Kearney [3] [11] [12]. For example, IndiaTimes articles describe rumors that Erika Kirk “may” sue Owens; Times of India pieces report controversy but do not confirm a filed lawsuit [3] [12].
4. Separate Kearney/Read matter shows lawyers “planning” defamation claims — not yet filed (per sources)
Local reporting about a different matter — the Karen Read criminal and civil litigation — quotes lawyers for witnesses (the Alberts, McCabes, Higgins) saying they “planned to seek justice” and were eyeing defamation claims against Read and Turtleboy blogger Aidan Kearney; those briefs say a defamation suit “has not yet been filed” in available reporting [2] [11]. That item pertains to people named Kearney and Read and is not the same as Owens’ statements about an Erika/Erica, but it shows a pattern where lawyers threaten separate defamation litigation in related local controversies [2] [11].
5. Media reports vs. legal records — limits of what these sources disclose
The provided sources include firm reporting on the Macron suit (filing, counts, allegations, counsel) but when it comes to Owens’ statements about Erika/Erica Kearney or Erika Kirk, the pieces tend to be rumor, commentary, or reporting on public backlash and suggestions that lawsuits “should” or “may” be filed — not court filings or confirmed litigation against Owens in those specific instances [4] [3] [13]. Available sources do not mention a concrete, filed defamation lawsuit by Erica/Erika Kearney against Candace Owens in the material you provided.
6. Competing narratives and motivations to note
Outlets covering the Macron case emphasize legal remedy after repeated retraction requests and present the Macrons’ lawyers as pursuing damages and disclosure [1] [8]. Owens’ spokesperson frames litigation as an assault on First Amendment rights and as “quintessential libel tourism” per her legal team in later filings [1] [14]. For the Erika/Erica items, some pieces frame Owens’ claims as conspiratorial and unproven, while others relay her theories and the reaction they provoked; rumors of legal action can serve advocacy or reputational aims on both sides [3] [15] [16].
7. Bottom line and what’s next to watch
If you want confirmation whether a defamation suit has been formally filed against Owens over claims specifically about Erica/Erika Kearney, the sources you provided do not document such a filing; they instead show rumors, threatened suits, or planned claims in separate matters and a separate, well‑documented 22‑count suit by the Macrons over different allegations [4] [11] [3]. To know whether a new suit has been filed, monitor court dockets in relevant jurisdictions and outlet follow‑ups to the rumor stories cited here (not found in current reporting).