Alec Baldwin has reportedly settled the $25 million defamation suit brought against him by the family of a Marine who was killed during President Joe Biden’s catastrophic exit from Afghanistan.
The Wyoming family of the late Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum sued Alec Baldwin earlier this year, claiming the actor subjected them to online threats and harassment after he posted and commented on a photo shared online by one of McCollum’s sisters, who had been in Washington, D.C. during the January 6 riot.
While a judge threw out the family’s first suit, they announced their intention to re-file the complaint.
Now the $25 million suit appears to have been settled, according to report from independent journalist Emily Miller.
“My clients are happy that this matter is over,” the family’s attorney Dennis Postiglione reportedly said. “They look forward to moving on— without Alec Baldwin in their lives.”
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum , 20, was one of 13 U.S. service members killed by a suicide bomber at Kabul airport during Biden’s disastrously mismanaged withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Baldwin initially donated money to the McCollum family in the wake of the tragedy. But his generosity allegedly turned to contempt when he learned that one of Rylee McCollum’s sisters, Roice, was in Washington during January 6.
The Hollywood star posted a photo of the sister to his Instagram page, and repeatedly called her an “insurrectionist” in the feed. Roice McCollum has stated she did not take part in or support the rioting at the Capitol.
Baldwin’s post resulted in a deluge of hate messages directed at the family.
In August, a federal judge threw out the family’s suit, citing the First Amendment among other arguments. However, he said the family could re-submit the complaint.
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