Baldwin sues gunsmith ‘Rust’ and other crew members in new lawsuit

Actor Alec Baldwin sued ‘Rust’ gunsmith, arms supplier, first assistant director and prop man for negligence after accidentally shooting and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The actor has filed a countersuit in the ongoing case of screenplay supervisor Mamie Mitchell, who is suing Baldwin for assault, willful infliction of emotional distress and negligence in connection with Hutchins’ death on the set of the western. New Mexico last October. .

Baldwin and his attorney extracted text messages, FBI scans and other parts of the shooting investigation to claim that the crew members and the supplier were negligent in their use of weapons and ammunition and put the actor in danger.

“These counter-defendants are professionals who had a duty to those on set, including Baldwin, to keep the set safe,” Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas wrote in his complaint. “Everyone on set, including Baldwin, expected him to do this and trusted him. Baldwin seeks to clear his name and hold the counter-defendants accountable for their misconduct.

Jason Bowles, attorney for gunsmith “Rust” Hannah Gutierrez Reed, said he is looking into the complaint, which was first reported by The New York Times.

Attorneys for assistant manager Dave Halls, weapons supplier Seth Kenney and props master Sarah Zachry did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The lawsuit is the latest in a web of civil litigation that has emerged after the fatal shooting. The defendants and Baldwin faced lawsuits in Los Angeles and New Mexico.

Earlier this month, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker ruled that Mitchell, the script supervisor, could proceed with his lawsuit. She was standing near Hutchins when a bullet from Baldwin’s gun struck and killed cinematographer and injured director Joel Souza.

“Baldwin’s cross complaint is a disgraceful attempt to shift the blame onto others, just as he has done since firing the fatal shot that killed Mrs Hutchins and injured our client, Mamie Mitchell” said Gloria Allred, attorney for Mitchell, in a statement. statement.

Among Baldwin’s allegations is that Gutierrez Reed had been drinking and using marijuana off set, citing text messages to and from Zachry. “Zachry did not express these concerns until after the fatal shooting,” Baldwin’s attorney wrote in the complaint.

Baldwin alleged that Zachry knew that the Gunsmith was “misplacing things and mixing them up”, but did not raise his concerns with production. Additionally, he cited text messages to Zachry that Gutierrez Reed took the propeller guns to a shooting range where “she loaded them with live ammunition and practiced shooting,” according to the complaint.

Baldwin also alleged that the film’s weapons supplier Seth Kenney and his company PDQ Arm and Prop stockpiled ammunition without proper labels, segregation or organization, according to the complaint. “Their cavalier disregard for the proper separation between live and dummy ammunition was one of the factors that led to the presence of live ammunition on set. Rust“Nikas said in the filing. Nikas cited an FBI analysisalleging that the gun given to Baldwin during filming was in poor condition.

The actor alleged that Halls was supposed to hold safety meetings every day weapons were used on set, but failed to do so, citing interviews with the Office of Occupational Health and Safety of the New Mexico.

No criminal charges have been filed in this case. Local District Attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwiessaid she could bring charges against up to four people, including Baldwin.