Family of Fallen Marine Hits Alec Baldwin with $25 Million Lawsuit
The family of a fallen Marine who was killed in evacuation operations in Afghanistan is suing Alec Baldwin for allegedly defaming them.
The McCollum family is accusing the Hollywood actor of sticking a social media mob on them. Three members of the family filed a new lawsuit on Friday, according to CNN.
Baldwin shared Roice McCollum’s Instagram photo of demonstrators at the Washington Monument to his 2.5 million Instagram followers one year after the chaotic Jan. 6, 2021, protest. McCollum had shared the photo on her personal account to commemorate the event’s anniversary, the Mercury News reported.
The Gold Star sister wasn’t even in the photo, according to the McCollum family lawsuit. This didn’t stop Baldwin from sharing her picture.
Baldwin had previously donated money to Jiennah McCollum, the widow of slain Marine Rylee J. McCollum.
According to the complaint, Baldwin went on to call the widow an “insurrectionist” in a comment on his Instagram post, even though Jiennah wasn’t even in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6 event.
The Hollywood elite took offense to a McCollum family member protesting peacefully in Washington and targeted Roice for a public shaming after a series of direct Instagram messages, according to the complaint.
“When I sent the $ for your late brother, out of real respect for his service to this country, I didn’t know you were a January 6th rioter,” Baldwin messaged Roice McCollum.
Baldwin donated $5,000 to a McCollum family GoFundMe campaign after Lance Corporal McCollum was killed in an Afghanistan suicide bombing in Aug. 2021, according to The Mercury News.
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Roice McCollum denies any involvement in criminal activity during the Jan. 6 disturbance, and there’s no evidence to suggest she ever entered the Capitol.
“While she was present at the [Jan. 6] demonstration, Roice did not take part in, nor did she support or condone the rioting that erupted,” it stated in the suit against Baldwin.
Jiennah and Cheyenne McCollum, who are also listed as plaintiffs in the case, say that Baldwin’s use of their sister’s Instagram account made them vulnerable to death threats and harassment. They’re seeking $25 million in damages from the celebrity.
The McCollum family filed a similar lawsuit against Baldwin earlier this year in their home state of Wyoming, according to CNN. A judge shot down the case for lacking proper jurisdiction.
They’re filing this lawsuit in the Southern District of New York federal court, where Baldwin resides. An attorney for Baldwin previously argued against the lawsuit, welcoming its Wyoming dismissal.
The lawsuit isn’t even the most pressing legal matter facing Baldwin.
A New Mexico prosecutor is yet to make an announcement on possible charges after Baldwin’s accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
