The family of Halyna Hutchins – who was accidentally killed on the set of Rust on October 21 2021 – have named Alec Baldwin and the producers of the film in a lawsuit seeking ‘unlimited damages’ for her death.
Lawyers acting on behalf of her husband, Matthew Hutchins, and son Andros have filed the lawsuit in New Mexico after the cinematographer was killed by a round from a gun that was held by Baldwin at the time.
They announced the news at a press conference in Los Angeles today.
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Attorney Brian Parish said that the ‘reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures’ on the set of the film ‘let to the death of Halyna Hutchins’.
The lawyers created an animated video showing a recreation of the shooting.
Baldwin was holding the gun pointed at the camera before filming a scene for the western at the time of the shooting.
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The gun went off in his hand, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
The Hutchins’ attorneys said that Baldwin had turned down training for the kind of move that he was attempting at Bonanza Creek Ranch that day, although Baldwin has claimed that the gun went off without him pulling the trigger.
The case also states that industry standards dictate that a rubber gun or a prop gun be used for this type of scene, and that there was no need for a real gun to be involved.
Criminal charges have yet to be brought against anyone involved, although investigators have said that there was ‘some complacency’ on the Rust set with regards to the handling of firearms.
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Baldwin has said that he does not believe he will face criminal charges.
This is the third suit that has been filed as a result of the incident, with the lead camera operator and the film’s script supervisor also bringing claims for trauma suffered as a result.
In an interview with ABC News last December, Baldwin said that he felt extreme sadness over the events, but not guilt.
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He said: “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but it’s not me.”
The actor went on to say: “I didn’t pull the trigger,
“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never.”
Of Hutchins, he said she was ‘somebody who was loved by everybody and admired by everybody who worked with her’.
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Tom Wood