Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron are set to submit photographic and scientific evidence in a U.S. court to refute baseless claims by right-wing influencer Candace Owens that the French first lady is transgender, their attorney has revealed, as the couple presses a defamation suit amid Owens' motion to dismiss the case.

The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court on July 23, accuses Owens of "grotesque lies" propagated since March 2024, including assertions that Brigitte Macron was born male as Jean-Michel Trogneux—her brother's name—and transitioned, alongside wild allegations of incest, CIA mind control involving Emmanuel Macron, and identity theft.

Owens, a former Daily Wire commentator with millions of followers, staked her "entire professional reputation" on the claims in her eight-part YouTube series "Becoming Brigitte," dismissing retractions as a "public relations strategy."

Attorney Tom Clare, speaking to BBC's Fame Under Fire podcast, described the accusations as "incredibly upsetting" for Brigitte, a former teacher who met Macron as a student in Amiens, and a "distraction" weighing on the president. "When your family is under attack, it wears on you," Clare said, noting Macron's resolve despite juggling national duties.

He affirmed the couple's readiness to endure a "very public" process, including "expert testimony that will come out that will be scientific in nature," to demonstrate Brigitte's gender "both generically and specifically." While declining specifics, Clare confirmed existing photos of Brigitte pregnant and raising her three children would be presented under court standards.

The claims originated in a 2021 YouTube video by French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey, leading to a 2024 Paris defamation conviction fining them €8,000 to Brigitte and €5,000 to her brother.

A July 2025 appeals court overturned it on freedom of expression grounds—not truth—prompting an appeal to France's Court of Cassation.

The U.S. case requires proving "actual malice" under New York Times v. Sullivan standards for public figures. Owens' team moved to dismiss in August, arguing Delaware jurisdiction ties to her businesses there but would impose "substantial financial and operational hardship."