Alec Baldwin sued over filming ‘Rust’ with Halina Hutchins

Alec Baldwin is being sued by the family of Halina Hutchins, a cameraman who was killed on the set of Rust.

The lawsuit against Baldwin and others involved in the production of Rust was filed on behalf of Hutchins’ sister and family in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday. Complaints include negligence, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and loss of consortium.

Family lawyer Gloria Allred said Baldwin had not contacted Hutchins’ mother, father and sister since she was killed. “We haven’t heard anything from Alec Baldwin, the man with the gun,” Allred said at a press conference on Thursday.

The family currently lives in Ukraine and did not attend the in-person press conference because, according to Allred’s second attorney, John Carpenter, they are “fighting” on the front lines of the war.

Although the civil lawsuit was filed in California, it is governed by the laws of the state of New Mexico because the incident took place there. In California, no one other than the spouse can file a loss of consortium claim, but this limitation does not apply in New Mexico. Lawyers for the family said they filed the lawsuit in California as that is where Rust’s production company is located.

Allred also represents Mamie Mitchell, the film’s script supervisor, who is also suing Baldwin for shooting-related injuries.

“We may want to merge this case with our Mamie Mitchell case at some point,” Allred said.

The family’s lawsuit comes weeks after Baldwin was formally charged with two counts of manslaughter by the New Mexico District Attorney’s office. Santa Fe prosecutors allege that Baldwin “distracted himself” during necessary gun training. He was holding a pistol, from which a fatal bullet was fired at Hutchins.

Prosecutors brought a similar case against Hannah Gutierrez-Reid, the film’s gunsmith, alleging that she knew Baldwin needed more training and was also responsible for checking the safety of the weapon before use.

Baldwin’s lawyers said he would fight the charges. Baldwin’s lawyer declined to comment on the new lawsuit. Baldwin, an actor known for his roles in The Departed and The Hunt for Red October, is also a producer on Rust.

The civil lawsuit has a different purpose than the ongoing criminal investigation, although lawyers say there may be overlapping witnesses in the two cases. He is seeking “acknowledgment of what has been taken” for the family to “help with the healing process,” Carpenter said. It also requires a lower burden of proof than a criminal case, Allred said.

Last February, Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, sued Baldwin for wrongful death, months after Hutchins was killed in October 2021.

The lawsuit that accused Baldwin and others of reckless behavior that led to the tragedy was settled in October last year. The settlement ended with the widower becoming the producer of Rust, which was scheduled to resume filming in January. Allred declined to comment on whether the family supports the continuation of filming Rust.

Matthew Hutchins is not involved in this second civil case, although, according to Allred, he and his family “communicate. So to speak”.