Alec Baldwin to Be Sued for Defamation Again by Family of Slain Marine

Alec Baldwin's legal woes continue as the family of a slain marine plans to revive a defamation lawsuit against him, alleging his since-deleted social media post sparked backlash against them.

Baldwin — who was recently cleared of involuntary manslaughter charges connected to the October 2021 death of the Rust film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins — will soon be sued again by the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan.

Texas lawyer Dennis Postiglione serves as the attorney for the sisters and widow of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum. He said, according to the Associated Press, that he will refile the lawsuit that was dismissed this week by a federal judge. Postiglione said he'll file by the Sept. 12 deadline and will address Judge Edgardo Ramos' ruling that the First Amendment protected Baldwin's remarks, and that social media posts and messages did not prove that Baldwin had defamed the family.

Baldwin's attorney, Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel, tells The Messenger in a statement, "We're pleased the Court protected Alec Baldwin's right to express his political opinion about the insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. The dismissal of this case is a victory for the First Amendment. We have successfully had this lawsuit dismissed twice, and Plaintiffs have already amended their complaint three times. We fully expect the Court will uphold Alec Baldwin's First Amendment rights and dismiss this lawsuit yet again."

The Messenger reached out to Postiglione for comment.

The family's interaction with Baldwin began in August 2021, when Rylee was killed in an airport bombing in Kabul, a few short weeks of his baby girl being born. After hearing about Rylee's death, Baldwin gave the family $5,000.

The following January, the family claims in the lawsuit, Baldwin allegedly shared a photo from one of McCollum's sisters, Roice McCollum, who was in Washington during the infamous Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the Capitol. The image was shared by Roice on the same day Congress affirmed the votes from the Electoral College during the 2020 presidential election.

The lawsuit alleges that Baldwin let Roice know he was going to repost her snap to his then 2.4 million followers, adding, "Good luck." The family alleges that Baldwin's post made them targets of harassment and threats on social media.

Roice claimed in the complaint that she "did not take part in, nor did she support or condone the rioting that erupted" and was later cleared by the FBI.