“Rust” lawsuit against Alec Baldwin: Star fails with further motion to dismiss

Alec Baldwin (66) and his lawyers don’t have much time left: On July 9th of this year, the Hollywood star is due to answer in a US court for the accident on the set of the western “Rust”, in which camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (1979-2021) was fatally injured. The lead actor and co-producer of the film was holding the gun from which the fatal shot was fired in his hands – the charge is negligent homicide. Another request by the actor to dismiss the court case was rejected.

According to the report, the judge in charge in the state of New Mexico, where the fatal accident on the set occurred, also rejected the second attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. The basis for the motion was that Baldwin and all other actors on the set were allegedly assured that the weapons were all loaded with blanks.

Two applications still pending

However, Baldwin still has two chances to avoid the trial. According to Variety, two further motions to dismiss the case are pending, each with a different reason. Firstly, the prosecution failed to provide the opposing side with relevant evidence for review. Secondly, the murder weapon was irreparably damaged during tests carried out by an FBI employee to reconstruct the accident.

It is unlikely that the court in Santa Fe will grant these requests less than two weeks before the trial is scheduled to begin. In May of this year, a judge had already rejected a motion to dismiss the case based on what was supposedly the strongest argument – witnesses who were biased in relation to Baldwin.

The fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins occurred in October 2021 during the filming of Baldwin’s low-budget western “Rust” in Santa Fe. Baldwin pleads not guilty and denies pulling the trigger of the gun.

In March, the film’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of neglecting her duty of supervision on set and was sentenced to 18 months in prison without parole for involuntary manslaughter.