Alec Baldwin Tries To Dismiss ‘Rust’ Crew Members Lawsuit Alleging ‘Reckless Conduct’
By Kristin Myers on August 22, 2023 at 9:45 AM EDT
Actor Alec Baldwin is trying to get a lawsuit filed by three "Rust" crew members dismissed.
On October 21, 2021, the "30 Rock" actor fired a prop gun that contained live ammunition. One of the bullets struck and killed cinematographer Halnya Hutchins. While the criminal side to the trial continues to play out, Baldwin is also facing numerous civil suits trying to hold him and others accountable for alleged negligence.
Earlier this year, three crew members from the set of the Western film – Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin, and Reese Price – filed a new lawsuit against the “30 Rock” actor and “Rust” producers alleging “negligence and reckless conduct.”
Alec Baldwin Is Trying To Get Out Of A Lawsuit Filed By Three 'Rust' Crew Members
According to the lawsuit filed in February 2023, obtained by Deadline, Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin, and Reese Price all claim that they were inside the church and standing by Halyna Hutchins when the gun went off.
The legal documents state, “On October 21, 2021, Defendant Alexander R Baldwin III fired a Colt 45 revolver towards the crew on the set of the movie Rust, killing the film’s Director of Photography — Halyna Hutchins — and injuring Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin, and Reese Price.”
On August 21, Deadline reported that attorneys for Baldwin and El Dorado Pictures, who was also named in the suit, have filed a motion to dismiss the case. The defendants also put forward a motion to stay the lawsuit until the “Rust” criminal trial has concluded. New Mexico’s First Judicial District Court has a hearing set for Wednesday afternoon to decide the matter.
Criminal charges against the actor were dropped in April 2023 without prejudice pending further investigation. As such, prosecutors can still charge Baldwin again. In early June, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis stated that they would make a decision on whether to charge Baldwin again in sixty days; however, no decision has yet been made.
‘Rust’ Crew Members Allege That Producers Did Not Follow ‘Safety Rules’
According to the February 2023 lawsuit, the “Rust” crew members claimed they suffered injuries due to Baldwin and others’ “failure to follow industry safety rules.” In the filing, they claimed that the “Defendants cut corners; ignored reports of multiple, unscripted firearms discharges; and persisted, rushed and understaffed, to finish the film.”
They also revealed new details about what really happened during the rehearsal scene inside the church, alleging that, “on his third draw, Defendant Baldwin cocked the hammer of the revolver with the trigger pulled and fired it towards the crew striking Hutchins, and injuring Plaintiffs.”
In his statement, Reese Price claimed that he “saw the muzzle flash of the revolver in Defendant Baldwin’s hand. He felt the physical force of the gunfire in the small space. His ears began to ring. He felt as if everything was moving in slow motion.” He also said that he heard director Joel Souza – who was hospitalized following the incident – screaming and crawling away from the scene.
Ross Addiego alleges that he saw the same flash and “felt the same disorienting sound, force, and physical trauma from the gunshot. He heard Souza’s muffled screams and began to navigate the chaos. He became aware that he had just witnessed Defendant Baldwin fire the revolver towards him and the group in which he was standing.”
Doran Curtin claims that she also felt the “same sound, force, and physical trauma” from the gunshot. “She watched Hutchins fall to the ground right in front of her,” the court documents state. “With Hutchins at her feet, other crew members instructed Plaintiff Curtin to remove Hutchins’ headset. She bent down and removed the equipment from Hutchins’ head. She watched in shock as Hutchins grabbed at her abdomen.”
The three former “Rust” crew members are suing for unspecific damages. The court documents state that they “are entitled to damages for their injuries caused by Defendants’ negligent and reckless conduct.” The trio is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages, jointly and severally,” for loss of “enjoyment of life” and loss of “value of lost earnings and present cash value of earning capacity.”
Although Baldwin has frequently insisted that he did not pull the trigger on the prop Colt .45 revolver, a new forensic test found that the trigger was “sufficiently” pulled to cause the gun to fire, supporting the results of an FBI forensic report released in August 2022.
