Actor Alec Baldwin will face a civil trial in the alleged shooting negligence case from the filming of ‘Rust,’ which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.Baldwin’s manslaughter case was dismissed in July 2024, after the judge ruled that prosecutors had withheld evidence. But he continues to face a handful of lawsuits over the October 2021 shooting.
Gaffer claimed emotional distress from the shooting
According to Variety, Serge Svetnoy, a gaffer who was on set, has alleged that he suffered emotional distress due to negligence on the part of Baldwin and the production.In his defence, Baldwin said he had no idea the gun was loaded with a live round, a grave breach of safety protocols, and that he did not pull the trigger.Svetnoy was not injured in the shooting, though he has alleged that he felt a whoosh from the gunshot and heard a loud bang. The judge threw out his assault claim, finding no evidence that Baldwin intended to harm anyone.
The judge allowed two of Gaffer Serge Svetnoy’s claims
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter on Friday allowed two of Svetnoy’s claims, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, to move forward.“A reasonable jury could find that Mr Baldwin recklessly disregarded the probability that pointing a gun in the direction of someone, with his finger on the trigger, would cause emotional distress,” Leiter wrote in his summary judgment.Regarding the negligence claim, Leiter wrote that while others were responsible for the safe handling and operation of a firearm on the set, that “does not relieve Mr Baldwin of his duty of care” to Svetnoy.
Other crew members also filed lawsuits, now settled
According to 6 abc, several lawsuits have been filed in connection with the shooting, including ones brought by other “Rust” crew members and Hutchins’ husband that were ultimately settled without going to trial and no admission of wrongdoing.
How and when did the shooting take place
Hutchins was killed on Oct. 21, 2021, when she was shot by Baldwin while he was practising using a Colt .45 revolver. The prop gun, which Baldwin believed to contain dummy rounds, actually had a live round of ammunition in it. Director Joel Souza was also struck in the shooting, but recovered from his injuries.Disclaimer: The information in this report is based on a third-party source.