‘Rust’ Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ Family Sues Alec Baldwin For Wrongful Death

Actor Alec Baldwin is facing yet another lawsuit filed against him by the family of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The wrongful-death lawsuit was officially filed in New Mexico Tuesday by Hutchins’ family who made the announcement at a press conference in Los Angeles.

Along with Baldwin, other members of the production were also sued in part for reckless behavior and cost-cutting that resulted in the tragic death of Hutchins, Variety reported. Legal representative for Hutchins’ estate, Brian Panish told the tragedy could have been avoided. “It should never have happened,” he said at the conference.

The 29-page lawsuit that was filed from the Albuquerque firm of McGinn Montoya Love & Curry reads that it seeks justice for the losses of Hutchins’ surviving family and to hold those responsible for her death accountable.

“Defendant Baldwin, the Producers, and the Rust Production Companies were aware of firearms safety issues that had occurred on the set of Rust and did not take action to correct the situation and ensure that basic gun safety rules were followed on October 21, 2021,” the suit reads.

It added that had Baldwin and the rest of the production teams involved in the movie taken proper precautions to ensure firearm safety on the set, the well-loved cinematographer would still be alive. Overwhelming evidence was cited which seems to reject any talks and speculations of internal sabotage. Based on an animated video reproduction of the supposed fatal scenario, the sequence of events showed a slate where Baldwin and the production crew disregarded at least 15 industry safety standards related to on-set safety.

In addition to this, the lawsuit also cites text messages and emails sent by the film production’s camera assistant, Lane Luper, who said he had raised concerns and red flags about possible accidental discharges on set prompting him to leave the set with several other production crew before the shooting occurred.

Randi McGinn, one of the quartet attorneys said she expects a trial to push in about a year and a half which she said could last for a month. However, despite this new lawsuit, the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office is still up in the air with charging any particular person as police investigation is ongoing.