Mariah Carey Wins Legal Battle as Judge Blocks Brother's New Defamation Claims in Family Feud

Mariah Carey scored a legal victory in her bitter courtroom battle with her estranged brother after a judge rejected his attempt to bring fresh allegations against the superstar, OK! can reveal.

According to court documents obtained by OK!, New York Supreme Court Justice Leslie A. Stroth refused to allow Morgan Carey to add emotional distress allegations and a new defamation claim involving a mysterious YouTube documentary to his lawsuit against the Grammy-winning singer.

The ruling marks another dramatic development in the siblings' years-long legal war over Mariah's explosive 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.

Morgan initially sued his famous sister in March 2021, accusing her of defaming him through statements published in her bestselling memoir.

The lawsuit also originally named several publishing defendants, including Macmillan Publishing Group, Michaela Angela Davis and Andy Cohen Books. A judge dismissed the claims against those defendants and several allegations against Mariah in February 2022, leaving portions of the family dispute unresolved.

Morgan subsequently attempted to revive and expand his case by seeking permission to file a second amended complaint. Among his proposed allegations were claims that Mariah had referred to him as her "ex-brother," expressed intentions to harm him during interviews, and allegedly used her celebrity status to spread falsehoods about him.

However, Judge Stroth determined those accusations failed to meet the legal threshold necessary to support an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim. The judge also concluded the proposed emotional distress allegations duplicated Morgan's existing defamation claims.

Another proposed allegation centered on a YouTube documentary published in July 2024. Morgan alleged an individual identified as "Lambily" was responsible for the video and operated under Mariah's employment or control.

He argued the timing of the documentary was suspicious because it appeared while his lawsuit was progressing toward discovery.

Morgan also pointed to the connection between the term "Lambily," commonly associated with Mariah's devoted fanbase, and a trademark allegedly owned by her corporation, Lotion LLC. But the judge was unconvinced.

The court found Morgan had failed to provide evidence connecting the documentary to Mariah or establishing that someone working under her direction created it.

As a result, the judge refused to permit the additional defamation allegation.

Despite those setbacks, Morgan did secure a partial victory. The judge allowed him to revise his complaint to remove previously dismissed defendants and allegations while addressing deficiencies in his claims for special damages.

The ruling also revealed that discovery remained in its early stages and no depositions had taken place when the court considered the motion.

In another revealing detail, the judge acknowledged the absence of the siblings' late mother, Patricia Carey, explaining that her unavailability could disadvantage both sides because she could no longer provide testimony supporting either account.

The court ultimately granted Morgan's request to amend his lawsuit in part while rejecting his attempts to introduce the emotional distress and YouTube-related allegations.

The earlier ruling left portions of the siblings' bitter legal dispute unresolved. However, a subsequent court decision dismissed Morgan Carey's remaining defamation lawsuit, handing Mariah a major victory in the years-long family feud.