Alec Baldwin, who was using a rifle that accidentally went off and killed a crew member last year while filming the movie “Rust,” is suing those responsible for clearing his name.
On Friday, Alec Baldwin filed a lawsuit against those responsible for handling and supplying the loaded rifle he was using when it accidentally discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in a New Mexico filming mishap in 2021.
Baldwin countersued several individuals who had been sued by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, accusing them of negligence in Los Angeles Superior Court. It asks the people of Baldwin’s name to cover any damages levied against Mitchell, and it asks for a portion of any damages that Mitchell may obtain from them.
Mitchell was standing behind Hutchins when Hutchins was shot during scene preparation for the western film “Rust” on October 21, 2021, at a film set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Hutchins did not survive his wounds.
For assault and negligence, Mitchell filed a lawsuit against the film’s producer Baldwin, the production company, and several others. Baldwin claims in his counterclaim that the shooting occurred when he and Hutchins discussed camera angles for a scenario in rehearsal.
The actor claimed that he and Hutchins were unaware that the handgun was loaded
He claims he pointed the gun at Hutchins, pulled back, and let the hammer go.
Hutchins was killed, and director Joel Souza was injured in the shoulder by the bullet. It was said in the case that the tragic event occurred “on a movie set — not a shooting range, not a battlefield, not a venue where even the remote possibility should exist that a gun would hold live ammo.”
Baldwin claims he did not squeeze the trigger because he was assured the weapon was secure. However, a recent forensic examination by the FBI concluded that the trigger must have been pushed for the firearm to have fired.
Baldwin has been unfairly blamed for this catastrophe more than anyone else on the set. The actor contends in his complaint that he is just trying to clear his name by filing these counterclaims.
Baldwin claims in his counterclaim that he “has suffered physically and emotionally from the pain caused by these occurrences,” including being fired from employment and missing out on other possibilities. New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator ruled the gunshot was an accident. However, prosecutors analyze the shooting to decide whether criminal charges should be made.
The New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau fined Rust Movie Productions the maximum amount of $137,000 in April after receiving a detailed narrative of the company’s safety lapses, which included witness testimony that production managers did little to nothing to address two misfires of blank ammunition on set before the fatal shooting.
The firm plans to appeal the penalty
Baldwin’s lawsuit alleges negligence by armorer Hannah Guttierez-Reed; prop master Sarah Zachry; first assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls, who handed Baldwin the gun; ammunition supplier Seth Kenney and his company, PDQ Arm & Prop, which also supplied prop weapons for the production.
Previously, everyone involved has denied any involvement in the tragic shooting. In October, it was revealed that Hutchins’ family had settled their latest lawsuit against the actor and the movie’s producers. In November, the producers stated their intention to resume filming in January.
Jason Bowles, Ms. Gutierrez-attorney, Reed’s, has stated that he is reviewing Baldwin’s claim. The New York Times said that attorneys for the other defendants did not immediately reply to calls for comment. Friday night, The Associated Press left a phone message for Bowles seeking comment, but he did not immediately return the call.
