玛丽亚·凯莉回忆录诽谤案胜诉：纽约法官驳回其兄长剩余全部指控
据 Billboard 报道，纽约州高等法院法官 Leslie A. Stroth 于10月19日裁定，驳回 Morgan Carey 对其妹妹、歌手 Mariah Carey（玛丽亚·凯莉）提起的诽谤诉讼中剩余的全部指控。这场围绕凯莉2020年畅销回忆录《The Meaning of Mariah Carey》的诉讼，在审判法院层面就此告结。
Stroth 法官在裁决中写道：「原告未能提供任何证据，证明被告是在明知表述为假、或罔顾其真假的情况下作出相关表述。」这意味着 Morgan 未能达到诽谤案件中「实际恶意」要件的证明标准。凯莉的律师 John Rosenberg 对 Billboard 表示，凯莉对这一裁决感到欣慰，并认为这一结果对那些就公共关切议题写作的作者具有重要意义。Morgan 的律师 Richard Altman 则表示将提起上诉，称该裁决与本案先前的多项裁定相冲突。
Morgan Carey 于2021年3月在纽约起诉，指控这本回忆录将他描绘成有暴力倾向、涉嫌贩毒，损害了他的名誉，据报道索赔金额达1000万美元。2022年2月，法官 Barbara Jaffe 依据纽约州反 SLAPP 法，驳回了对回忆录出版方的全部指控——被诉出版方包括 Macmillan 旗下 Henry Holt 公司、回忆录合著者 Michaela Angela Davis 与 Andy Cohen Books；针对凯莉本人的大部分指控也被驳回，仅保留两处表述：一处暗示 Morgan 向夜店顾客提供可卡因，即书中「为『美丽的人们』悄悄提供粉末状派对助兴品」及「有时贩毒」的说法；另一处暗示他曾入狱服刑，即书中「进过体制内」的说法。2023年10月，纽约州上诉法院第一分部维持了上述驳回裁定。2024年4月，法院又驳回 Morgan 提出的简易判决申请，认定相关表述的真伪与是否存在实际恶意存在事实争议、须由审判解决。此后 Morgan 一度寻求修改诉状以加入新的指控，双方还就凯莉是否应出庭接受质询发生争执；凯莉一方则一直坚称，书中相关内容真实或基本真实，并称其母亲曾告知她 Morgan 涉毒之事。
《The Meaning of Mariah Carey》2020年出版后曾登上《纽约时报》畅销书榜榜首。凯莉已故的姐姐 Alison Carey 也曾就书中内容起诉凯莉、索赔125万美元；Alison 于2024年去世，该诉讼未能在其生前审结。
Mariah Carey Wins Dismissal of Brother's Remaining Defamation Claims Over Bestselling Memoir
A New York judge has dismissed the remaining defamation claims brought by Morgan Carey against his sister, singer Mariah Carey, over her bestselling 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, according to Billboard. In a ruling issued on October 19, New York Supreme Court Justice Leslie A. Stroth threw out the last surviving claims in the case, bringing the lengthy litigation to a close at the trial court level.
"Plaintiff fails to provide any proof that Defendant made such statements with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth," Judge Stroth wrote, finding that Morgan had not met the "actual malice" standard required in defamation cases. Carey's attorney John Rosenberg told Billboard that the singer was "gratified" by the decision and by its implications for authors addressing matters of public interest. Morgan's lawyer, Richard Altman, confirmed plans to appeal, arguing that the judgment conflicts with earlier decisions in the case.
Morgan Carey first sued in March 2021 in New York, claiming the memoir falsely portrayed him as violent and as a drug dealer, damaging his reputation; the suit reportedly sought $10 million. In February 2022, Justice Barbara Jaffe dismissed all claims against the book's publishers — Macmillan's Henry Holt and Company, co-author Michaela Angela Davis, and Andy Cohen Books — under New York's anti-SLAPP law, and dismissed most of the claims against Carey herself. Only two passages survived: one implying that Morgan supplied cocaine to nightclub patrons, in which the book said he "discreetly supplied the beautiful people with their powdered party favors" and described him as "sometimes drug dealing," and another implying he had spent time in prison, describing him as having "been-in-the-system." New York's Appellate Division, First Department, upheld those dismissals in October 2023. In April 2024, the trial court denied Morgan's motion for summary judgment, finding genuine issues of fact as to the truth of the statements and whether there was actual malice. Morgan later sought to amend his lawsuit to add new claims, and the siblings fought over whether Carey should sit for a deposition; Carey has maintained throughout that the passages are true or substantially true, saying her mother told her Morgan had been dealing drugs.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey topped the New York Times bestseller list upon its release in 2020. Carey's late sister, Alison Carey, also sued the singer for $1.25 million over the book; Alison died in 2024, before that lawsuit was resolved.
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图片来源：图：Mariah Carey 2025年在菲律宾 SM Mall of Asia Arena 演出。Patrick Cristiano 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（经 Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: Mariah Carey performing at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in 2025. By Patrick Cristiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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