Thomas Markle, Meghan Markle’s father, insisted he is too old to pose a threat to anyone and asked a judge to terminate a restraining order issued against him in September, TMZ reported Monday.
Jeff Rayner, co-owner of the tabloid and news outlet Coleman-Rayner, initially secured the court-ordered protection against Thomas, TMZ reported in September. Rayner claimed Thomas threatened to kill him, citing an excerpt from Tom Boyer’s book, “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War between the Windsors,” and said he feared what Thomas might do to him, the outlet noted.
The tension between the pair originally stemmed from Thomas suing Coleman-Rayner in 2021, TMZ reported. At the time, Thomas alleged the publication used staged photos that destroyed his relationship with his daughter, Meghan.
Now, Thomas has claimed he suffered “2 heart attacks, one stroke, and [he has] a cane for walking,” and he also said he is too old and frail to be dangerous, TMZ reported.
Thomas Markle is requesting to throw out Jeff Rayner’s restraining order against him, claiming he’s too old to be a threat … but Jeff fired back, saying age is the exact reason why he’s worried. https://t.co/BV3FTKhkSt
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 17, 2022
Thomas asked a judge to terminate the 2-year restraining order, insisting his age and ailing health prevent him from posing any threat to Rayner, TMZ reported, citing court documents. Thomas also alleged Rayner lied about him having a firearm, and he claimed it is actually Rayner who is harassing him.
“I am no threat to anyone because I’m 78 years old,” Thomas wrote in his request to the court, according to TMZ.
Rayner has reportedly pushed back against the idea Thomas would potentially be too frail to harm him. He wishes to keep the restraining order in place, TMZ noted, citing Rayner’s court documents.
Rayner claimed the fact that Thomas feels he has nothing to lose due to his age and frailty actually makes him, Rayner, more of a target, according to TMZ.(RELATED: REPORT: Famous Singer Jack Johnson Takes Legal Action Against Alleged Female Stalker)
Rayner reiterated the excerpt from Boyer’s book which alerted him to the death threat, and he asked the judge to pay attention to the fact that Thomas’ frailty apparently puts him in more danger, TMZ noted.
“If they tell me I’ve got terminal cancer, then I’ll kill [Jeff] because I have nothing to lose,” Thomas said, according to Rayner’s court documents cited by TMZ.