Alec Baldwin Cleared of $25 Million Lawsuit in Case Involving Slain Marine’s Family
In a recent development, actor Alec Baldwin has emerged free of any financial obligations in connection with a $25 million lawsuit filed by the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan. The lawsuit stemmed from Baldwin’s social media remarks criticizing the family over their association with the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection. Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, revealed that no payment was made to resolve the case.
The U.S. Southern District of New York Judge Edgardo Ramos dismissed the lawsuit in August, which was initially filed by the wife and sisters of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum from Jackson, Wyoming. Despite an invitation to submit an amended lawsuit before a September deadline, the McCollum family did not take further action, leading to the case’s closure in October.
According to Nikas, Baldwin was not required to make any financial settlement, and the case has since seen no further activity, as indicated by court documents. Attorneys for both parties, including Dennis Postiglione representing the McCollum family, declined to provide additional comments on the matter.
Rylee McCollum, along with 12 other Marines, tragically lost his life in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport during the final days of the U.S. war in Afghanistan in 2021. Following the incident, Baldwin extended support by sending the family a $5,000 check.
The lawsuit, initially filed in Wyoming and later moved to New York, alleged that Baldwin subjected the family to online harassment by labeling Roice McCollum an “insurrectionist” on Instagram. Roice McCollum, however, had participated peacefully in the January 6 rally and was not involved in storming the U.S. Capitol. Despite being interviewed by the FBI, she was neither arrested nor charged.
Alec Baldwin didn’t have to pay anything to resolve a $25 million lawsuit filed by family members of a Marine killed in Afghanistan after the actor chastised them on social media over Jan. 6, Baldwin’s attorney says. https://t.co/pNu8XKqwS1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 1, 2023
Judge Ramos, in dismissing the lawsuit, categorized Roice McCollum as a “limited public figure” due to her media engagements and interactions with Baldwin on social media. To establish malice, a necessary element for a limited public figure, McCollum needed to show Baldwin’s intentional harm, which she failed to do, leading to the protection of Baldwin’s comments under free-speech rights.
This lawsuit unfolded against the backdrop of another legal challenge faced by Baldwin related to the death of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set in 2021. Although an involuntary manslaughter charge was initially dismissed, special prosecutors are seeking to recharge Baldwin after presenting new information to a grand jury.