Now Alec Baldwin tries to dismiss civil case brought against him by Rust crew members who accused him of ‘negligent and reckless’ conduct over fatal 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
- The 65-year-old actor has thus far escaped criminal charges amid the shooting
- But prosecutors said they will re-admit him to trial if new evidence is damning
Alec Baldwin is now facing down a civil lawsuit brought by several crew members of Rust following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.
The 65-year-old actor has thus far escaped criminal charges for his role in Hutchins’ death after special prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against him in April – though said they may re-admit him to trial should new evidence prove damning.
But lawyers for Baldwin and El Dorado Pictures this week filed a motion to dismiss a civil case brought by movie crew members Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin and Reese Price.
The trio accused the film’s producers – including Baldwin in his capacity as co-producer – of ‘negligent and reckless conduct’ on set.
New Mexico’s First Judicial District Court will hear the motions on Wednesday, marking a new chapter in the calamitous legal proceedings triggered by the death of Hutchins, who was shot in October 2021 by Baldwin on the set of Rust.
It comes as a New Mexico judge set a 2024 starting date for the trial of movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed – the sole criminal defendant in the case.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied that he pulled the trigger of the gun whose bullet killed Halyna Hutchins, but a new report indicates otherwise
Hutchins, 42 and a mom-of-one, was killed in October of 2021 when a bullet discharged from a gun held by Baldwin and hit her
The cast and crew of Rust before the fatal 2021 shooting
State district court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on Monday scheduled the trial to run from Feb. 21 through March 6 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The first day begins with jury selection.
Alec Baldwin attends star-studded birthday party for Robert De Niro with wife Hilaria… while charges over 2021 fatal Rust film set shooting still loom
Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on the set of ‘Rust’ on Oct. 21, 2021.
An attorney for Gutierrez-Reed has described the fatal shooting as a tragic accident and says the film’s armorer committed no crime.
Prosecutors are also weighing whether to refile a charge against Baldwin after receiving a new analysis of the gun fired at Hutchins.
Special prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned.
After Baldwin’s attorneys announced the decision, the special prosecutors said the ‘decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled.’
The prosecutors said: ‘The gun and broken sear have been sent to the state’s independent expert for further testing. The charges against Alec Baldwin were dismissed without prejudice because a possible malfunction of the gun significantly effects causation with regard to Baldwin, not with regard to Gutierrez.
‘If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed.’
Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer – but not the trigger – and the gun fired, fatally wounding Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
A distraught Alec Baldwin lingers in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s offices on Camino Justicia after being questioned on Oct. 20, 2021
FILE – This aerial photo shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., on Oct. 23, 2021, used for the film ‘Rust’
Baldwin was initially charged in the criminal case but it was dropped after evidence suggested the weapon could have been fired without him pulling the trigger
Gutierrez-Reed pleaded not guilty to the charges against her earlier this month.
Her attorney, Jason Bowles said his client ‘looks forward to her day in court, and to having the conduct of everyone on set fully examined.’
In March, ‘Rust’ assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation.
He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting.
Defense attorneys said they plan to present evidence that Gutierrez-Reed asked Halls to call her back into rehearsal if Baldwin planned to use the gun.
They say that didn’t happen before Hutchins was shot.
The filming of ‘Rust’ resumed this year in Montana, under an agreement with the cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, that made him an executive producer.
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