EXCLUSIVE: Alec Baldwin blasted in court by fallen Marine family for his 'sense of entitlement' from wealth and fame

Gold Star McCollums new filing in defamation lawsuit for $25 million

Update 11:30pm: I’ve uploaded the court filing at the bottom.

Alec Baldwin and his high-priced, legal team is using complex legal tactics to fight the $25 million lawsuit against him by a Gold Star Marine family. But fallen Marine Rylee McCollum’s family responded to Baldwin in court on Monday with basic principles of honor, fairness and respect.

“This case is about an incredibly wealthy, incredibly famous man whose overwhelming sense of entitlement led him to attack the grieving widow and sisters of a deceased United States Marine in front of his 2.4 million Instagram followers in Wyoming and who now seeks to avoid responsibility for the harm he caused them,” the McCollums’ response in a court filing says.

EXCLUSIVE: I’ll have the court filing tonight, so check back here to read it. 

CATCH UP by reading my story two weeks ago: Alec Baldwin files to dismiss $25 million lawsuit by fallen Marine family. Also, read my exclusive in January: Alec Baldwin Sued by Fallen Marine Family for $25 million.

I spoke on Monday to Dennis Postiglione, the attorney for the McCollum family. Postiglione told me that even though Baldwin has moved to dismiss the entire suit with prejudice, his clients will fight every motion, including changing jurisdiction from Wyoming to New York.

Cheyenne, Gigi (with baby Levi) and Roice McCollum

“Baldwin cannot simply pick a fight in Wyoming and scurry back to his Manhattan penthouse claiming he is immune from the consequences of his actions in Wyoming,” the family’s lawyers wrote.

Baldwin has the audacity to state that “like most Americans” he uses social media. Baldwin is not “most Americans”.  In fact, Baldwin could not be more different than “most Americans”. 

He is an incredibly wealthy, incredibly famous person who uses his immense platform on a regular basis to communicate to millions of people.

In other words, the “consequences of” Baldwin’s activities are far more serious than those of “most Americans”.  Baldwin undoubtedly knows this and, as such, “should reasonably anticipate being haled into court” when those actions amount to the allegations in Plaintiffs’ lawsuit.

In his filings, Baldwin's lawyers are using multiple claims for getting out of the suit, including his right to “political speech” about the January 6 “insurrection”, jurisdiction in Wyoming and lack of facts to back up claims of defamation, negligence and invasion of privacy.

Postiglione wrote in the new filing that, “Mr. Baldwin’s publication of false allegations and continued participation in the social media exchanges at issue, in this case, do not constitute “political opinions”.  Rather, they were deeply troublesome and harmful personal attacks that opened a door to threats and false allegations against this Gold Star Family that to this day has not been closed.”

Rylee with Gigi when she was pregnant

Next, a federal judge will rule on the various motions. Baldwin’s motion to change jurisdiction is the most likely one to succeed. However, if the judge only dismisses the case on the jurisdiction, the McCollums can and will refile in another state where Baldwin has lots of contacts (aka property and money from his 40-year career.)

Of course, Baldwin wants to get the case out of a rural state where people love the military and care for these very young, grieving women. And of course, Baldwin just wants to make it easier for himself by going to a New York City courtroom, pushing a stroller with one of his gazillion kids. But the McCollums’s lawyers say they won’t give up this fight even if they have to take the fight to Baldwin’s part of the country.

NOTE TO READERS: I put this court document against Alec Baldwin behind the paywall because I don’t want other reporters to steal from me again.

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