Norway's Princess Märtha Louise and her husband, self-described sixth-generation shaman Durek Verrett, have filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing several former friends, a family member and past business associates of running a coordinated campaign to destroy their reputations and finances. The couple and Verrett's company, Ohana Productions LLC, are seeking more than $80 million in damages over claims of defamation, misuse of confidential information and breach of confidentiality agreements.
Court documents were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on September 14, according to lr-online.de. The defendants named include Verrett's half-sister, former intimate partners and trusted business associates, along with ten unidentified individuals or entities, as reported by Town & Country. The complaint alleges those accused had access to Verrett's private life, family relationships, communications, client-related affairs and business operations, and used confidential material, disputed accusations and claimed insider knowledge to target the couple and Ohana.
A Years-Long Campaign, the Couple Says
The lawsuit describes the alleged conduct as a calculated betrayal of trust and a coordinated series of devastating public attacks, according to The Guardian. Per People, the complaint alleges the misconduct began years earlier and continued and escalated through 2025 and 2026. Nine.com.au describes the alleged pattern as a smear campaign throughout 2025-26.
The financial toll claimed in the filing is steep. The plaintiffs allege Verrett's income in some business areas fell by as much as 96 percent, according to Dagbladet, a figure also described in the complaint as a reported 96 percent drop in revenue per the same Town & Country report. The filing frames that loss alongside reputational harm the couple says they've suffered since the alleged conduct intensified.
Health Struggles and Personal Loss Cited in the Filing
The complaint also points to a difficult personal backdrop for the couple. According to vg.no, the filing cites Verrett's serious kidney failure, dialysis treatment, deteriorating health and recent kidney transplant, as well as Märtha Louise's recent loss of her father, as part of the hardship underlying the case.
Märtha Louise stepped back from royal duties in 2023 to focus on the couple's alternative medicine business. The two married in Norway in August 2024. The lawsuit also alleges that two of the defendants violated previously signed confidentiality agreements, according to the lr-online.de report.
Lawyer Says Facts Will Be Tested in Court
Richard Roth, the couple's U.S. lawyer, said the pair's reputations have been judged publicly for years and that the facts will now be tested formally. “Now the facts will be tested in a court of law,” Roth told VG. The complaint states that the plaintiffs must proceed with the lawsuit to preserve their claims and protect their rights, and that it concerns the defendants' publications and conduct in 2025 and 2026.
Reports on the damages figure vary slightly: vg.no describes erstatningskrav of over $80 million combined, while People reports the couple are seeking $80 million in damages. The case has hearings scheduled for December, though supplied accounts differ on the exact number and nature of those proceedings. No responses from the named defendants have been supplied, and no trial date, settlement or ruling has been reported.
Verrett has previously taken grievances to Norway's Press Professional Committee, complaining about tabloid Se og Hør over a nude image and abuse allegations; vg.no notes the magazine was censured in both matters. This new filing marks a significant escalation from media complaints to a formal civil lawsuit against people the couple say were once part of their inner circle.
