Actor Alec Baldwin was sued for a second time by the family of fallen Marine Lance Corporal Rylee J. McCollum, 20, who was one of the 13 service members killed during withdrawal from Afghanistan.
McCollum’s family has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the actor for defamation in the form of “negligent and reckless” accusations about Rylee McCollum’s sister, according to Fox News.
The family first sued Baldwin in Wyoming, and their claim was dismissed in May because the court asserted that it didn’t have any jurisdiction over Baldwin who lives in New York, according to The Associated Press.
The recent suit was filed by the marine’s sisters. Roice McCollum and Cheyenne McCollum of Wyoming, and his widow, Jiennah McCollum, of San Diego.
The second suit in the Southern District of New York on Friday, asking the court for $25 million in damages after Baldwin took to social media and accused Roice McCollum of being part of the Jan. 6 2021 insurrection, leading to her verbal attack by his fans.
Baldwin got involved with the McCollum family after he contacted Roice McCollum, the late marine’s sister, and donated $5,000 on the family’s GoFundMe page to give to his widow as a tribute to the soldier according to Fox News.
Several months later Roice McCollum posted a photo of herself at a pro-Trump protest on Jan. 6, 2021, prior to the Capitol riot that took place on the same day.
Baldwin reportedly messaged Roice McCollum the same day, asking “Are you the same woman I sent the $ for your sister’s husband who was killed during the Afghanistan exit?”
“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,” the actor allegedly said in his message to the marine’s sister.
Roice McCollum responded to Baldwin saying that “protesting is perfectly legal” and that she already had her “sit down with the FBI.”
According to the suit filed by the late marine’s family, Roice was “peacefully” protesting and never accused of any crime after being interviewed by the FBI.
The McCollums’ lawsuit asserts that Baldwin wrote back saying, “Your activities resulted in the unlawful destruction of government property, the death of a law enforcement officer, an assault on the certification of the presidential election. I reposted your photo. Good luck.”
Following Baldwin’s post, the actor’s 2.4 million followers accused her of being an “insurrectionist” and made other hostile and aggressive messages, according to the suit.
