Actor Alec Baldwin is seeking a ruling from a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the family of late Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin says that Hutchins’ parents and sister were distant from Hutchins before her death and have “no viable cause of action.”
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Baldwin said in court documents filed on Thursday that Olga Solovey, Anatolii Androsovych, and Svetlana Zemko filed the suit to “obtain compensation” from Hutchins’ October 2021 death on a movie set just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“The loss of a daughter and sister is undoubtedly painful in any circumstance. Yet Plaintiffs—who had been distanced from Halyna physically, financially, and emotionally for years before her death—have no viable cause of action against Defendants,” the documents state. They additionally say, “This action is especially misguided.”
Alec Baldwin Named In Lawsuit Filed By Halyna Hutchins’ Parents, Sister
Hutchins’ parents and sister filed their suit in February. The lawsuit names Alec Baldwin, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, assistant director David Halls, and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. as defendants.
Hutchins, 42, was shot and killed on Oct. 21, 2021, during the filming of the movie at the Bonanza Creek Ranch. Baldwin was rehearsing with a pistol for a scene when the gun went off. The shot killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.
Alec Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed received charges of involuntary manslaughter, First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced. Halls received a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. He agreed to plead no contest, Carmack-Altwies said, NBC News reports.
Baldwin Has Repeatedly Denied Any Wrongdoing In ‘Rust’ Shooting
Baldwin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In 2022, Baldwin gets named in a suit by Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, their son, and estate. Matthew Hutchins alleges that reckless behavior and cost-cutting led to Halyna Hutchins’ death. Baldwin and Matthew Hutchins reached a settlement in October 2022.
Baldwin said in his court filing on Thursday that he believed the settlement “should have been the end of the matter.” “But it is not,” the document states referencing the new lawsuit. “The Court should dismiss Plaintiffs’ Complaint with prejudice.”
In related news, Carmack-Altwies stepped down from being a part of the case. She said that she did this to focus on other cases. Local attorneys Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis are taking her place. “My responsibility to the people of the First Judicial District is greater than any one case, which is why I have chosen to appoint a special prosecutor in the Rust case,” she said, according to a post on her Facebook page.
