Mariah Carey was ordered to deal with family legal drama only weeks after her mother and sister died on the same day, In Touch can exclusively report. According to court documents obtained by In Touch, a New York judge ordered Mariah, 55, and her brother are to sit for depositions in his lawsuit before January 31, 2025.
Back in 2021, Mariah's estranged brother sued the pop star over claims she made in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey. In his lawsuit, Morgan claimed that Mariah falsely accused him of being violent and selling drugs during their childhood.
In her book, Mariah detailed alleged physical altercations between Morgan and her parents. "It took twelve cops to pull my brother and father apart. The big bodies of men, all entangled like a swirling hurricane, crashed loudly into the living room. I was a little girl with very few memories of a big brother who protected me. More often, I felt I had to protect myself from him, and sometimes I would find myself protecting my mother from him too," Mariah wrote.
Another passage from the memoir read, "Suddenly there was a loud, sharp noise, like an actual gunshot. My brother had pushed my mother with such force that her body slammed into the wall, making a loud cracking sound."
Morgan denied the accusations that he was ever physical with their parents. In addition, he denied that he ever sold drugs. He said the memoir ruined his reputation. Morgan demanded unspecified damages.
In response, Mariah said the statements made in her book were "true or substantially true". The singer said she was told by her mother that Morgan was dealing with drugs. She said a well-known photographer, who knew her brother, also told her the same story. Mariah said a third person, a hairstylist, also backed up the claims.
"I would describe it as inner-circle common knowledge at the time that Morgan was heavily involved in the Manhattan night life scene and that he often was in possession of cocaine and provided it to members of the night life crowd that he associated with," she wrote.
The entertainer asked the court to toss the entire lawsuit. Last year, the court tossed most of Morgan's lawsuit against Mariah. He appealed the decision but was shut down. The court ruled that Morgan can still pursue damages over passages in Mariah's book related to the drug dealing claims.
At the recent hearing, the court ordered Mariah and Morgan to complete depositions before the end of January 2025. The order noted that Mariah "reserves the right to seek limitations on the scope of discovery". The court drama went down on August 20, only days before Mariah and Morgan's mom, Patricia Carey, and sister, Alison Carey, died on the same day.
"My heart is broken that I've lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day," Mariah told People. "I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed," she added. "I appreciate everyone's love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time."
As In Touch first reported, Alison brought a separate lawsuit against Mariah over her memoir. The case was not resolved before her death.
(In Touch Weekly)
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