Family of Marine Killed in Afghanistan Sues Alec Baldwin
The family of a Marine killed in the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan is suing Alec Baldwin for defamation. Its a strange collision of tragedies that somehow keeps getting stranger.
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum was among the 13 service members killed in the August 2021 attack during the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul. His sister set up a fundraiser and Baldwin donated then later clashed with her on social media over political posts.
Fox News reported that the lawsuit alleges Baldwin sent his millions of followers after the family causing harassment and emotional distress.
The initial donation seemed like a kind gesture. What happened after gets complicated. Baldwin apparently took issue with content the sister was posting and said so publicly. Whether that crosses the line into defamation is what the courts will decide.
Lawsuits involving public figures often hinge on technical legal definitions that dont always match common sense understandings.
Baldwin has been dealing with his own tragedy after the accidental shooting on the Rust set. This lawsuit adds another layer to what has become an increasingly complicated public life.
The family says they just want accountability. Baldwin’s team says the lawsuit lacks merit. Somewhere in the middle is a gold star family that lost their son in a chaotic moment of history and then found themselves in a social media war with a celebrity.
None of this will bring back Lance Cpl. McCollum. But it might give his family some sense of justice.
Lawsuit filed 2022
