Deeply polarizing actor Alec Baldwin has decided that the best path forward to “clear his name” is a litigious one.
Baldwin has been embroiled in controversy over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
She was shot and killed by a prop gun that had been loaded with live ammunition in 2021, on the set of the western movie “Rust.”
With Baldwin getting the brunt of the legal backlash, he is now going on the offensive as he sues the people involved in handling and supplying the loaded gun that he used during the tragic accident, according to a cross-complaint obtained by The Associated Press.
Baldwin’s cross-complaint made sure to note that he “has suffered physically and emotionally from the grief caused by these events.”
For those unfamiliar, a cross-complaint, in grossly simplified terms, is similar to a countersuit or counterclaim. The distinction depends on who is being targeted in said legal action.
According to CNN, Baldwin sued armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, assistant director David Halls, armorer assistant Seth Kenney, the prop weapon and ammunition supply store company Kenney owns, and prop master Sarah Zachry.
“More than anyone else on that set, Baldwin has been wrongfully viewed as the perpetrator of this tragedy. By these cross-claims, Baldwin seeks to clear his name,” the lawsuit claims, according to the AP.
Baldwin has said on numerous occasions that neither he nor Hutchins were aware that the prop guns were loaded with live ammunition.
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The lawsuit reflects that sentiment, claiming that there never should’ve been live ammunition on the set in the first place.
“This tragedy occurred on a movie set — not a gun range, not a battlefield, not a location where even a remote possibility should exist that a gun would contain live ammunition,” the lawsuit said.
The incident in question, which occurred on Oct. 21, 2021, has sparked a whirlwind of controversies for the actor and everyone involved with “Rust.”
After the tragic accident, Baldwin submitted legal documents in March that claimed he bore no responsibility for what had happened.
Among the claims in the March legal submission was that Baldwin’s contract with “Rust” precluded him from legal ramifications and that Hutchins was the one who had directed Baldwin where to aim when the fatal incident occurred.
In August, Baldwin bizarrely tried to make the dubious claim that former President Donald Trump was the real threat and danger to people, not his alleged mishandling of firearms.
In October, Baldwin announced a settlement with the family of Hutchins over their wrongful death civil suit.
“We are pleased to announce today the settlement of the civil case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation,” Baldwin wrote on Instagram to announce the settlement.
It was also in late October that Baldwin commemorated Hutchins’s death with a poorly received Instagram post that simply stated “One year ago today…”
This is a legal case that is still developing, as prosecutors are still determining if criminal charges will be filed.
