In recent weeks, actor Alec Baldwin’s attorneys successfully argued for the prosecution to drop enhancement (manslaughter with a firearm) charges in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The incident occurred on Oct. 21, 2021, during an on-set rehearsal for the movie “Rust.”
However, Baldwin’s legal win appears to be short-lived as three film crew members announced they are suing the actor this week.
On Tuesday, TMZ reported that dolly operator Ross Addiego, costume designer Doran Curtin and key grip Reese Price were suing Baldwin, Rust Movie Productions and El Dorado Pictures for unspecified damages — alleging negligence which led to the tragic accident and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
Attorneys representing the three crew members filed the lawsuit in Santa Fe, New Mexico, court last Friday.
According to the new civil lawsuit, the film’s short shooting schedule, “relaxed firearms training,” and the “actors’ careless actions” contributed to the three experiencing “hearing issues” from “blast injuries” and psychological trauma.
According to a report in the Western Journal, the plaintiffs claim Baldwin, 64, is “directly responsible for the incident that left Hutchins dead and the film’s director, Joel Souza, wounded in the New Mexico desert.”
Further, the plaintiffs claim their trauma and the shooting could have been avoided had Baldwin taken safety issues seriously.
The lawsuit criticizes the decision to use “operable firearms” during rehearsals and filming and alleges that “numerous accidental discharges of firearms occurred during the film’s production.”
The suit also faults armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, alleging that her lack of “essential experience” contributed to the incident. The suit alleges that Baldwin, as the film’s producer, is negligent for not replacing her.
The lawsuit presents the movie set as being plagued with safety issues and that key staff did not take them seriously.
An excerpt from the suit reads: “These injuries were caused by Defendants’ failure to follow industry safety rules. Defendants cut corners; ignored reports of multiple, unscripted firearms discharges; and persisted, rushed and understaffed, to finish the film.”
The plaintiffs allege Baldwin showed little concern for their well-being after the shooting.
“After the shooting, Defendants offered no diagnostic services or any meaningful emotional or mental health services to Plaintiffs. Despite this, Plaintiffs have independently sought support in dealing with their injuries which include, but are not limited to, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder,” the lawsuit states.
The suit filing added: “It has become clear the production of Rust was plagued by systematic issues that in this case, ended in tragedy.”
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