Actor Alec Baldwin attends his involuntary manslaughter trial for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halina Hutchins during the filming of the western movie “Rust” on July 12, 2024 in Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, NM. Photo Credit: AP
Actor Alec Baldwin has filed a civil lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western film.War,
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday (Jan. 9, 2025) in state district court in Santa Fe, where a judge in July dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin in the death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins.
Mr. Baldwin also alleges defamation in the suit, saying that prosecutors and investigators deliberately mishandled evidence while pursuing the case.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis, as well as three investigators from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the county Board of Commissioners.
“The defendants sought to scapegoat Mr. Baldwin for the actions and omissions of others at every turn, without regard to the evidence or the law,” the lawsuit states. It also says prosecutors and investigators targeted Mr. Baldwin for professional or political gain.
Ms. Hutchins died shortly after being injured during a rehearsal for the film.WarAt a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico in October 2021.
The lead actor and co-producer, Mr. Baldwin, was aiming a pistol at Ms. Hutchins when the pistol discharged, killing Ms. Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Mr. Baldwin has said that he pulled the hammer back – but not the trigger – and the revolver fired.
Mr. Baldwin’s trial was overshadowed by the revelation that ammunition was brought to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in March by a man who said it might be related to Ms. Hutchins’s murder. Prosecutors said they considered the gunpowder unrelated and insignificant, while Mr. Baldwin’s lawyers say investigators “buried” the evidence in a separate case folder and filed a successful motion to dismiss.
Ms. Morrissey said she learned more than a year ago that Mr. Baldwin was considering a lawsuit.
“In October 2023, the prosecution team learned that Mr. Baldwin intended to file a retaliatory civil lawsuit,” he said. The Associated Press Thursday in a text message. “We look forward to our day in court.”
Carmack-Altavis and the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mr. Baldwin’s lawsuit argues that prosecutors should not be preempted in their official roles.
The state attorney general declined to pursue and appeal the dismissal on behalf of prosecutors, and closed the case in December.
Separately, the shooting led to the trial last year of film weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. She is serving a maximum sentence of 1 1/2 years in state prison.
The tort claim by Mr. Baldwin also takes aim at a special prosecutor who initially oversaw the investigation, while seeking unspecified punitive damages, compensatory damages, attorney’s fees and interest.
It further escalates the litigation following the suit, even as Mr. Baldwin has returned to comic appearances on “Saturday Night Live” with plans for a family reality TV show with wife Hilaria and seven children.
Ms. Hutchins’s parents and younger sister have sued Mr. Baldwin and other producers of “War“A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit of Hutchins’ widower and son in New Mexico state court.
published – January 10, 2025 09:18 am IST
