Alec Baldwin has reportedly reached a settlement in a $25 million defamation lawsuit filed by a Gold Star family, stemming from Instagram posts that led to legal action after the actor directed his followers to target the family of a fallen Marine, according to investigative journalist Emily Miller.
Attorney Dennis Postiglione, who represents fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum’s widow Jiennah “Gigi” and sisters Cheyenne and Roice, confirmed the news to Miller in a statement.
"My clients are happy that this matter is over," Postiglione said. "They look forward to moving on — without Alec Baldwin in their lives."
The McCollum family intended to refile the case after its dismissal by a New York Southern District judge in August, according to Miller. However, Postiglione missed the Sept. 12 deadline for filing the legal response, which would have allowed the case to progress.
Miller reported that the McCollums said in their lawsuit that they expected full compensation for their damages and to "punish, deter, and teach Baldwin a lesson that he frankly should have learned years ago."
The McCollums filed the lawsuit following online hate and harassment resulting from Baldwin singling out the young women to his 2.4 million Instagram followers, Miller reported. Baldwin allegedly labeled Roice an "insurrectionist" in response to a photo she shared of the Jan. 6 rally. Roice clarified publicly that she was not at the Capitol and was cleared by law enforcement.
Following Baldwin's post, the Gold Star family claimed to have faced death threats and encountered hatred, even in public spaces like the grocery store. According to Miller, the family persistently experienced ongoing online hate, being labeled as white supremacists and Nazis, and receiving remarks suggesting Rylee's death was futile.
The ordeal occurred just four months after Rylee, 20, lost his life at Kabul Airport due to a suicide bomber, while Gigi was eight months pregnant.
The McCollums initially filed a $25 million lawsuit in their home state of Wyoming, which Baldwin successfully dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. They later refiled the case in New York, where Baldwin resides, but Judge Edgardo Ramos dismissed it.
The judge ruled that Baldwin's labeling of Roice as an "insurrectionist" lacked actual malice and wasn't false, adopting Baldwin's definition of the term to encompass individuals attending the Washington protests on Jan. 6, 2021.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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