BREAKING NEWSAlec Baldwin Sued For Wrongful Death By Halyna Hutchins' Family Following Fatal 'Rust' Shooting: Report
Feb. 15 2022, Published 1:47 p.m. ET
Alec Baldwin has officially been named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of the late Halyna Hutchins.
The 63-year-old actor was holding the prop gun when Hutchins, 42, was was shot and killed by a live round while working on set of the Western film Rust in October 2021.
According to a report from TMZ, the family of the late cinematographer has now sued Baldwin and a list of other defendants for allegedly breaking gun safety rules while on set, leading to Hutchins' tragic death. Others named in the suit include multiple producers, as well as assistant director David Halls and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed — who are both believed to have handled the prop gun that day.
Included in the list of defendants is also the company that supplied the ammunition since live rounds never should have been on the set in the first place.
As for Baldwin specifically, the family is claiming the actor had the weapon aimed directly at Hutchins — who was working as the Director of Photography for the film — from just four feet away.
"He released the revolver's hammer, and — BAM — defendant Baldwin fired the revolver," the suit stated, although the It's Complicated actor has vehemently denied ever pulling the trigger.
The legal docs also claimed Baldwin never checked the gun for ammunition himself before using it in the scene, per the outlet.
- Alec Baldwin Posts 'Everything Is Going To Be Alright' On Instagram After Halyna Hutchins' Family Sues Actor For Wrongful Death
- Off The Hook? Alec Baldwin Emerges In NYC After Claiming He's Been Exonerated From Fatal 'Rust' Shooting — Photos
- Unreleased Video Of Alec Baldwin Immediately After 'Rust' Shooting Reveals Who He Called In Crisis
Additionally, the lawsuit pointed out safety complaints made to producers just days before the tragedy, including one camera operator's concern that the set was "super unsafe" after having "3 accidental discharges" on set.
The unit production manager reportedly responded to the concerns — which were expressed via text message — "with callous sarcasm," writing back: "Accidental discharge on the firearms? Awesome. Sounds good."
Additionally, the suit named cost-cutting measures, along with the hiring of inexperienced staffers, as what led to the lapses in safety precautions on the film set.
In the suit, Hutchins' husband, Matthew Hutchins — who filed individually and on behalf of the pair's 9-year-old son — is seeking unspecified damages including punitive damages.
"He has lost his long-term wife who was the love of his life, and his son lost a mother," the family's representative Brian Panish announced in a statement on Tuesday, per Variety. "It never should have happened."
Meanwhile, Baldwin, other staffers and crew members have been pointing fingers at each other since the disaster occurred last year, with the actor maintaining he bears no responsibility for the accident. A criminal investigation is still ongoing in New Mexico to discover what exactly went down that day.
