A little over a year after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot during a western shoot, Hollywood star Alec Baldwin has sued members of the film crew. The lawsuit is directed, among other things, against the armorer and an assistant director who handed the deadly weapon to the actor, US media reported unanimously.
“Baldwin, more than anyone else on the set, was wrongly held responsible for this tragedy,” the Los Angeles-filed document reads. Baldwin accuses the defendants of negligence. The accident happened because the gun used in the shoot was loaded with real bullets. The 64-year-old is about restoring his good reputation. But he also wants compensation it says in the New York Times. The Hollywood star was fired from several jobs and passed over from others because of the incident and is therefore demanding financial compensation.
Long line of lawsuits and counterclaims
On October 21, 2021, the 42-year-old chief camerawoman Hutchins was fatally injured while filming the low-budget western “Rust” at a film ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Baldwin, who served as lead actor and producer on the film, had operated a gun during a rehearsal for a scene, which resulted in a shot.
Investigations revealed that the Colt had a real bullet in it, rather than blanks. Baldwin has since denied the blame. The armorer and assistant director were also targeted in the police investigation. Apart from these two, the actor is now also suing a props manager and the responsible suppliers of weapons and ammunition, it was said.
The armorer’s attorney denied the allegations. “He (Baldwin) was the one who shot Halyna. It’s his fault, nobody else’s fault,” he told CNN.
Baldwin’s move counterclaims a lawsuit filed by a script supervisor about a year ago against members of the film’s crew and the actor himself for failing to comply with on-set safety procedures. The relatives of the dead camerawoman, however, settled a civil lawsuit against Baldwin and others involved in the “Rust” production out of court in October this year. “We all believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident,” said widower Matthew Hutchins.