CHEYENNE — Attorneys for Alec Baldwin are asking a federal decide to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of defaming the household of a Wyoming Marine killed in Afghanistan, latest courtroom fi lings present.

In accordance with a movement for dismissal, Baldwin says he was expressing his constitutionally protected political opinion concerning the Jan. 6 riots, relatively than defaming the Marine’s sister and widow as their criticism alleges. The actor’s lawyer additionally argues the case doesn’t have standing in Wyoming, since Baldwin has no connection to the state.

Baldwin donated $5,000 to certainly one of Rylee McCollum’s sisters after the 20-year-old Marine from Bondurant was killed in a Kabul airport bombing in August, in line with the preliminary criticism.

In January, when Roice McCollum posted a photograph from a Jan. 6, 2021, demonstration in Washington, D.C., Baldwin commented to confi rm she was the one who acquired his donation.

They exchanged non-public messages, courtroom filings state, by which Baldwin accused her of being a “January sixth rioter” and stated her actions resulted in property destruction and the demise of an officer. McCollum instructed him she was protesting legally and had already met with the FBI.

Baldwin reposted her photograph to his personal account, which had 2.4 million followers on the time, in line with courtroom paperwork. He known as claims of non-violent protests on Jan. 6 had been “bulls” and indicated he would take away the publish the next day. The photograph, in addition to his touch upon her unique publish, have been deleted.

McCollum acquired a whole lot of “hostile, aggressive, hateful” messages from Baldwin’s followers after that, in line with the criticism, inflicting her and the opposite plaintiff s within the case misery, anxiousness and worry.

Whereas McCollum’s counsel argues Baldwin acted maliciously in reposting the photograph, alleging he knew it could deliver them harassment, the actor’s movement says the act couldn’t be malicious as a result of there have been no recognized factual inaccuracies in his caption.

In a response filed this week, legal professionals for the McCollums stated Baldwin’s remark calling Roice an “insurrectionist” was accusing her of prison exercise and subsequently defaming her “by implication.” In addition they say that Baldwin’s actions had been extra severe due to his giant following.