Alec Baldwin Is Suing The Crew Of Rust
Alec Baldwin is now suing the crew of Rust, as he attempts to clear his name of any wrongdoing in the death of Halyna Hutchins.
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The death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust continues to have long-term legal ramifications. Although the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Hutchins’ family has been settled, Deadline reported that Alec Baldwin is now filing a separate negligence lawsuit against various Rust crew members. The lawsuit was filed just days before the Santa Fe District Attorney was set to make her final decision on the shooting.
The crew members that Alec Baldwin is suing in the negligence lawsuit include armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, first assistant director David Halls, property master Sarah Zachry, and weapons and rounds supplier Seth Kenney along with his company. Baldwin’s attorney laid out the accusations in the cross-complaint, placing fault on Gutierrez-Reed for not checking the bullets or gun, fault on Hall for not checking the gun and handing it to Baldwin, fault on Zachry for now reporting Gutierrez-Reed’s alleged reckless behavior and Kenny’s company for supplying live rounds to the set. The filing also mentions the career opportunities and income that Baldwin has lost due to the incident.
The filing goes on to say that Alec Baldwin has been blamed more than anyone in the Rust shooting and that the suit will help to clear his name. The lawsuit also notably comes on the heels of Baldwin’s failed attempt to be removed as a defendant from the negligence lawsuit filed by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell. Although Mitchell was not named in Baldwin’s own suit, her attorney Gloria Allred made a statement about the suit addressing Baldwin to “take responsibility for your actions.”
Mitchell’s lawsuit names Alec Baldwin as well as Gutierrez-Reed, Halls, Zachry, and other Rust crew members. Mitchell was standing near Hutchins and director Joel Souza, who was injured by the shooting when the gun went off. Along with denying Baldwin’s motion to be removed from the suit, his motion to strike the claim for punitive damages was also dismissed.
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office filed its final report on the Rust shooting on October 27. With this report in hand, the Santa Fe DA was getting close to her decision on whether to press any charges or prosecute Alec Baldwin and other Rust crew members. Presumably, this new suit filed by Baldwin may delay the final decision by the DA.
Now that Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions LLC have reached a settlement with the Hutchins estate, the filming is supposed to pick back up in January. After weeks of negotiations, the final settlement agreement was reached. Part of the agreement was that Matthew Hutchins, husband of Halyna, would executively produce the film.
Despite Alec Baldwin’s ongoing legal entanglements, it seems likely that the Rust cast and crew will stick to their plan to begin filming again in January. Rust is written and directed by Joel Souza and follows a 13-year-old boy and his younger brother as they go on the run with their estranged grandfather in 1880s Kansas. Along with Baldwin, the film stars Jensen Ackles, Travis Fimmel, Brady Noon, Travis Hammer, Frances Fisher, Shylo Molina, Todd Bryant, Swen Temmel, and more.
