Alec Baldwin sues prosecutors, sheriff's office for malicious prosecution, civil rights violations in Rust shooting case

Alec Baldwin has sued prosecutors and sheriff's office officials over his treatment in the Rust shooting trial, after he was exonerated.

Published on: Jan 10, 2025, 07:30:38 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Alec Baldwin has sued the New Mexico prosecutors, sheriff's office officials and others, claiming malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the much-publicised trial over the Rust shooting incident. (Also read: Alec Baldwin to face civil lawsuit from Halyna Hutchins' family after end of Rust shooting case)

Alec Baldwin attends his trial for involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie Rust, July 12, 2024. (Ramsay de Give/Pool Photo via AP, File) (AP)

Alec Baldwin's lawsuit

The lawsuit was filed in a Santa Fe court on Thursday, following the dramatic dismissal of Baldwin's case during his July manslaughter trial in the New Mexico capital.

The Rust shooting case was about the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust, in which Baldwin was starring. Hutchins died after a live round fired from the gun in Baldwin's hand. In the trial, a judge ruled the prosecutor and sheriff's office withheld evidence on the source of a live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin's action against prosecutor Kari Morrissey, Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Corporal Alexandria Hancock and others is among at least a dozen civil lawsuits filed over Hutchins' death, which shocked Hollywood and sparked calls for an overhaul of firearms safety on movie sets.

Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Heather LeBlanc demanded a jury trial to seek damages for malicious abuse of process, intentional spoliation of evidence and defamation, among other complaints. Morrissey and the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

What is the Rust shooting case?

The Ukrainian cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, died when Baldwin pointed his pistol at her, cocked it and possibly pulled the trigger as they set up a camera shot on a movie set near Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to his lawyers.

The real gun, a reproduction 1873 Single Action Army revolver, fired a live round inadvertently loaded by Hannah Gutierrez, the movie's weapons handler. Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

(With Reuters inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

Alec Baldwin

Stay connected with all the glitz and glam from the world of entertainment, right from Hollywood gossip to Bollywood chit chat. Also don't miss out on music buzz, anime scoops and OTT action.