The husband of the cinematographer who was killed during the filming of the movie “Rust” filed a wrongful death lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and several others, according to a family attorney.
Brian Panish, a lawyer for Matthew Hutchins and their son Andros, said Baldwin and “Rust” producers “committed major breaches of industry protocols” that “led to the senseless and tragic death of Halyna Hutchins” last October.
“There are many people culpable, but Mr. Baldwin was the person holding the weapon … that but for him shooting, she would not have died,” Panish said at a press conference in Los Angeles Tuesday.
The 63-year-old actor “has significant portion liability, but there are others, and that’s what this case is going to be about—assessing fair apportionment to whoever’s responsible for the senseless tragedy,” Panish continued, in reference to the lawsuit that was filed in New Mexico.
Baldwin is accused of firing a gun that struck Hutchins, killing her on the set of the Western film. Director Joel Souza was also hit and injured during the incident.
Panish did not elaborate on the damages being sought but said he “believe[s] it is going to be substantial, based on the loss of that relationship.”
“This son has lost his mother. It is a young boy who will never have a mother. And a man who lost his wife, his soulmate,” said Panish. “That goes on forever and ever.”
Documents released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office last year said Baldwin was sitting inside a church pew and was rehearsing a scene that involved drawing a revolver and pointing it at the camera. No criminal charges have been filed in the case.
Several other lawsuits have been filed in connection to the shooting. In response to a lawsuit filed by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, lawyers for Baldwin and other producers have argued that the case should be tossed because it involves a workplace accident that should be handled via a state workers compensation agency.
“Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but it’s not me,” Baldwin said.
He said Hutchins had asked him to point the gun just off-camera and toward her armpit before it went off.
“I didn’t pull the trigger,” Baldwin said. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never.”
He called Hutchins “somebody who was loved by everybody and admired by everybody who worked with her.”
