Actor Alec Baldwin has sued the New Mexico prosecutors who tried to imprison him for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film, Rust
Actor Alec Baldwin has filed a civil lawsuit for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie Rust.
He claims prosecutors intentionally concealed evidence that would absolve him from blame and “sought at every turn to scapegoat” him to “maliciously bring about or advance” the US actor’s trial and conviction. It claims the defendants, which includes special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, were “blinded by their desire to convict Baldwin for all the wrong reasons”.
“Defendants sought at every turn to scapegoat Baldwin for the acts and omissions of others, regardless of the evidence or the law,” the lawsuit states. It also says prosecutors and investigators targeted the actor for professional or political gain.
Halyna Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal for the movie in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The actor, 66, was pointing a revolver at the cinematographer when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
In a statement, Ms Morrissey said: “In October 2023, the prosecution team became aware that Mr Baldwin intended to file a retaliatory civil lawsuit. We look forward to our day in court.”
The lawsuit was filed less than a month after Ms Morrissey withdrew an appeal over the court’s decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the film, was pointing a gun when the revolver went off, killing the cinematographer and wounding Souza. The actor’s involuntary manslaughter trial was upended in July when a judge threw the case out based on the misconduct of police and prosecutors over the withholding of ammunition evidence from the defence.
After the lawsuit was filed, Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a joint statement: “Criminal prosecutions are supposed to be about the search for truth and justice, not to pursue personal or political gain or harass the innocent.
“Kari Morrissey and the other defendants violated that basic principle, over and over, and trampled on Alec Baldwin’s rights. We bring this action to hold the defendants accountable for their misconduct and to prevent them from doing this to anyone else.”
Representatives for Ms Carmack-Altwies have been contacted for comment.
The movie’s weapons supervisor was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March. Hannah Gutierrez Reed was sentenced to 18 months In prison.
The 25-year-old was on her second feature film as an armourer at the time of the shooting and had pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering at the trial held in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico.
But a jury found her guilty,
Prosecutors said Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly brought live ammunition onto the set of “Rust” at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, arguing that rounds lingered for at least 12 days until the fatal shooting.
