His lawyers announced Tuesday that the family of the filmmaker who died in a revolver accidental shooting at the Western “Rust” filming has filed a “substantial” lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin.
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At the time of the tragedy, on October 21 at a farm in Santa Fe (New Mexico), Alec Baldwin wielded a revolver while working on a scene with cinematographer Halina Hutchins. The weapon was given to her as harmless, as Dummy had only bullets, but the shot exploded, injuring the 42-year-old filmmaker.
Brian Panish, who represents Halina Hutchins’ husband and son, questioned Alec Baldwin’s “dangerous behavior” at a news conference on Tuesday. He also charged that the cost-saving measures decided by the actor and other producers of the low-budget Western film led to the death of Halina Hutchins.
The lawyer cited a list identifying “at least 15 criteria” in practice in the film industry that were ignored by the producer in the “Rust” package.
Mr. Panish, in particular, believes that a dummy revolver should have been used rather than a functional weapon and that there was no single qualified person to handle the guns at the time of the accident. He finally regretted the fact that the team did not have safety equipment, as was the case during the filming of some shots where empty bullets had to be fired.
The lawsuit was filed in the state of New Mexico, where Halina Hutchins died.
When asked about the amount of compensation the family is going to ask, Brian Panish replied: “We think it will be substantial”.
The complaint is in addition to several civil actions already initiated by film crew members in recent months.
In November, lighting chief Sergei Svetnoy filed a complaint of “negligence” against actor, producer and gunman Hannah Guttierez-Reid.
Dummy filed a complaint last month against himself, alleging that he left live ammunition between the bullets, against the person who provided the ammunition used in the settlement.
The criminal investigation is still ongoing.
In particular, police are looking for how live ammunition could have been found in that package, which is theoretically strictly prohibited.
Santa Fe’s attorney’s services pointed out after the tragedy that no arrests had been made to date in the case, but that criminal proceedings would not be waived if responsibilities were established.
In an interview with ABC, Alec Baldwin said he did not feel guilty or “responsible” for Halina Hutchins’ death, promising to ask her to point his revolver at her, which is considered completely inactive.
