France's First Lady Brigitte Macron has been awarded damages after two women were found guilty of libel for spreading a rumor that she was transgender.
The pair claimed in a December 2021 YouTube video that Macron, 71, had been born as a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, and later changed her name and had been living as a transgender woman, Politico reported. Trogneux is actually Macron's brother, and he participated in the trial.
Amandine Roy and Ratacha Rey were ordered to pay Macron €8,000, or about $8,836, and her brother €5,000, or about $5,522. They were also given a fine of €500.
The false claims spread across France and beyond after being picked up by right-wing conspiracy theorists and commentators, including U.S. conservative commentator Candace Owens.
Roy, a medium and YouTuber, interviewed Rey, a self-proclaimed independent journalist, for hours on her channel where Rey claimed to have uncovered a "state lie," the Daily Mail reported.
Macron previously told RTL that she had initially planned to ignore the rumors as they gained steam in 2022, but decided to tackle them after they began to hurt her parents' business.
Macron and her husband French President Emmanuel Macron did not attend the trial, nor were they present for the ruling.
The Daily Mail said Emmanuel Macron previously spoke out against the rumors and how they impacted his family in March, "The worst thing is the false information and fabricated scenarios. People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your intimacy."
