Alec Baldwin has been sued for at least $25 million by the sister and widow of a man killed in Kabul aged 20 during the USA’s tumultuous departure from Afghanistan in 2021.
The family members of Marine Lance Corporal Rylee J. McCollum claim Baldwin exposed them to ‘online vitriol’ after the 30 Rock star accused one of the women of being involved in the riots at the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021.
It’s the third time McCollum’s family have tried to take action against the star, with previous lawsuits having been dismissed because of filing errors.
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McCollum’s sister and widow filed the federal suit in the Southern District of New York on Friday (26 August).
McCollum was one of 13 marines killed outside Hamid Karzai International Airport on 26 August 2021 by a suicide bomber.
As per the lawsuit, Baldwin tracked down McCollum’s sister Roice on social media following her sibling’s death and sent her a $5,000 cheque.
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Baldwin allegedly said the money was for McCollum’s widow Jiennah and her newborn baby, calling his gesture a ‘tribute to a fallen soldier’.
However, according to the New York Post, Baldwin hit out at Roice months later after she uploaded a photo of a protest near the Washington Monument on 6 January 2021.
Roice’s post was shared in January 2022 ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Capitol Hill riots, prompting Baldwin to label her an ‘insurrectionist’ during a public spat.
The actor also allegedly accused Roice of participating in the deadly riots. The lawsuit states Roice never entered the Capitol and was cleared of any wrongdoing by the FBI.
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The suit claims Baldwin’s ‘seemingly benevolent overtures turned into a nightmare’.
Beneath Roice’s Instagram post, Baldwin is said to have written: “Are you the same woman I sent the $ for your sister’s husband who was killed during the Afghanistan exit?”
He also allegedly penned: “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.”
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Roice wrote back: “Protesting is perfectly legal in the country and I’ve already had my sit down with the FBI. Thanks, have a nice day!”
Baldwin is said to have then responded: “I don’t think so. 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.”
He then reposted Roice’s photo on his own Instagram account and mentioned her involvement in the riots, according to the lawsuit.
Roice claims that within 20 minutes of Baldwin’s post, she received ‘hostile, aggressive, hateful messages’ from Baldwin’s fans.
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UNILAD has approached Baldwin’s representative for comment.
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Topics: Alec Baldwin
Aisha Nozari