NEWSAlec Baldwin Reportedly Facing Defamation Lawsuit From Family Of Marine Killed In Afghanistan As 'Rust' Investigation Continues
Alec Baldwin has a lot on his plate.
The 63-year-old actor is reportedly being sued for defamation. The family of a Marine who was killed in Afghanistan claimed Alec falsely accused members of the family of being present at the riots that took place at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Rylee McCollum lost his life in August. The 20-year-old was reportedly killed outside of Afghanistan's international airport in a bombing incident while the troops were processing evacuees to be flown out of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
According to court documents obtained by People, the Still Alice star found Rylee's sister Roice on Instagram and sent her a $5,000 donation to his widow, Jiennah Crayton, and their baby.
Then earlier this month, Alec reportedly accused Roice of partaking in the riots. In a private Instagram DM, he allegedly called her an "insurrectionist" and a "Jan. 6 rioter."
He also reportedly reposted her photos from the demonstration on his Instagram account and told her, "I reposted your photo. Good luck."
According to the suit, Alec commented: "Are you the same woman that I sent the $ to for your sister's husband who was killed during the Afghanistan exit," underneath the photo.
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Roice claimed in the suit that she attended a protest at the Capitol but was not involved in the riots that followed the demonstration. She was also cleared following an interview with the FBI.
According to the outlet, while Alec deleted the photos, Roice and her sisters Cheyenne and Crayton received death threats and harmful messages after the embattled actor's post. Cheyenne and Crayton were not present at the demonstration last year.
They claimed they suffered "severe emotional distress" due to the backlash and noted Alec's comments were, "false, outrageous, defamatory, irresponsible, vindictive," per the publication.
According to Daily Mail, the suit alleged several social media users told Alec he should receive a refund for the money he donated and the It's Complicated star did nothing to stop his 2.4 million Instagram followers from going after the family.
"Baldwin's conduct was negligent and reckless as he should have known that making the allegations he did against Plaintiffs to his millions of followers would cause Plaintiffs harm," the suit read, per the outlet. "I think it's worth noting, too, that his social media following … is five times the population of your state."
The family is reportedly seeking $25 million in damages for defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Alec does not appear to have commented publicly on the suit.
As reported by OK!, the 30 Rock alum recently handed his phone over to investigators following the fatal Rust set shooting that took place in October. The film's director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, lost her life, while the director, Joel Souza, was injured.
