Alec Baldwin Sues ‘Rust’ Shooting Prosecutors for ‘Malicious Prosecution’
Alec Baldwin attends his involuntary manslaughter trial in First Judicial District Court on July 12, 2024 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ramsay from Give Pool/Getty Images
Alec Baldwin takes legal action after the public prosecutor files a criminal complaint against him about the death of rust Cameraman Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin, 66, is blaming the special prosecutor in Santa Fe, New Mexico Kari T. Morrissey and First District Attorney Mary Carmack Altwiesfor, among other things, malicious prosecution and civil rights violations, per The Hollywood Reporter And The Los Angeles Times.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, Jan. 9, in federal court in New Mexico, alleges that prosecutors intentionally concealed evidence that would justify him on involuntary manslaughter charges.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were “blinded by their desire to convict Alec Baldwin for the wrong reasons and at all costs.” At every turn, the defendants attempted to scapegoat Baldwin for the actions and inactions of others, regardless of the evidence or the law.”
Alec Baldwin was recently charged with involuntary manslaughter for the second time in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust – and legal expert Neama Rahmani explains why the charge didn’t stick the first time. “I got a lot of questions about it (…)
“Prosecutions should be about the search for truth and justice, not personal or political gain or the harassment of the innocent,” Baldwin’s lawyers said Luke Nick And Alex Spiro said in a statement to the L.A. Times. “Kari Morrissey and the other defendants have repeatedly violated this fundamental principle and trampled on the rights of Alec Baldwin.”
“In October 2023, prosecutors learned that Mr. Baldwin intended to file a civil retaliation lawsuit,” Morrissey said in a statement to the medium. “We look forward to our day in court.”
Baldwin confronted twice involuntarily Manslaughter charges for the accidental shooting of Hutchins in October 2021. Hutchins was killed and rust director Joel Souza was injured when a prop gun fired a real bullet on the set of the western film.
Baldwin, who denied pulling the trigger, was later charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 and pleaded not guilty a month later. The criminal charges were dropped in April 2023. However, he charged with negligent homicide a second time and stood trial in July 2024.
The second case was fired by the First District Judge Mary Marlowe Summer last summer. Sommer agreed with Baldwin’s lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the fatal shooting.
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images Several jurors in Alec Baldwin’s Rust trial voice their opinions on the validity of the case after it was dismissed. Speaking to The New York Times, Johanna Haag and Gabriela Picayo expressed that they had doubts about Baldwin’s case before it was dismissed in court. “Over the course of the week… it didn’t happen (…)
“The court has no way of righting this wrong,” Sommer told the court, according to NBC News. “The sanction of dismissal is the only justified remedy.”
In December 2024, Morrissey, who wanted to reopen the charges against Baldwin, announced that the The case against the actor was dropped due to lack of support from the public prosecutor’s office. As a result, Baldwin will no longer face criminal charges over the incident.
Alec Baldwin released an official response after his involuntary manslaughter case was dismissed. “There are too many people who have supported me right now to thank them,” Baldwin, 66, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, July 13. “To all of you: You will never know how much I appreciate your kindness to my family.” A New Mexican (…)
“The State’s efforts to continue to litigate the case in a fair and comprehensive manner have encountered numerous obstacles that have impaired its ability to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Morrissey said in a news release The New York Times.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reedwas found guilty of negligent homicide convicted in March 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her lawyers appealed for a new trial disputed in September 2024.
