Although criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin have been dropped in connection with the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie “Rust,” a civil lawsuit against him is not going away.
Lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey, her father Anatolii Androsovych, and sister Svetlana Zemko, said Baldwin is not out of the woods, according to Deadline.
Matt Hutchins, the cinematographer’s widower, had separately sued Baldwin but settled last year, according to CNN.
Deadline noted that part of the deal made Matt Hutchins an executive producer of “Rust,” which has resumed filming in Montana. The movie was being filmed in New Mexico at the time of the 2021 shooting.
On Thursday, prosecutors facing a May 3 hearing said they would drop manslaughter charges against Baldwin, noting that the action did not preclude filing charges against him in the future.
Alec Baldwin having all charges dropped against him is positively criminal.
He quite literally shot and killed someone on the set of his own movie and he will never have to face charges.
Unbelievable privilege that only a wealthy, connected democrat could experience.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 20, 2023
On Friday, Allred issued a statement saying the lawsuit from Hutchins’ family members will not go away, according to the Irish Times.
“Despite the prosecutor’s decision to dismiss the criminal charge against Alec Baldwin without prejudice, the victims of Alec Baldwin that we represent remain hopeful,” the statement said.
Should Alec Baldwin be held financially responsible for the victim’s death?
Yes: 95% (596 Votes)
No: 5% (33 Votes)
“Mr Baldwin has tried to dismiss our civil case against him, and he has failed. (He) should know that we remain committed to fighting and winning for our clients and holding him accountable for pointing a loaded gun at Halyna Hutchins, pulling the trigger, and killing her,” the statement said.
The statement said, “Baldwin may pretend that he is not responsible for pulling the trigger and ejecting a live bullet which ended Halyna’s life.”
“He can run to Montana and pretend that he is just an actor in a wild west movie but, in real life, he cannot escape from the fact that he had a major role in a tragedy which had real life consequences for Halyna, her mother, father, sister, and co-worker,” the statement said.
When will he just shut up ?
Alec Baldwin Seeks Dismissal of ‘Misguided’ Lawsuit from Halyna Hutchins’ Ukrainian Family
Does he UNDERSTAND he killed someone ?😳😳 pic.twitter.com/jCWTNcXT83
— Denise (@Likeshesays) April 17, 2023
“No matter where Alec Baldwin goes … he cannot escape responsibility for his role in shooting and killing Halyna, who was a young mother, a beloved daughter, a loving sister, and an admired co-worker,” the statement said.
The statement said family members want a jury to decide “if Alec Baldwin is just a movie star or a defendant who should be held accountable for the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins.”
Deadline reported that Baldwin’s lawyers have called the lawsuit misguided and said they expect it will be thrown out.
The lawsuit from Hutchins’ relatives said, “Alec Baldwin should have assumed that the gun in question was loaded, unless and until it was demonstrated to him or checked by him that it was not loaded.”
It said Baldwin should not hide behind others “to attempt to excuse the fact that he did not check the gun himself and yet subsequently cocked and fired the gun that killed Ms. Hutchins.”
The suit seeks unspecified damages alleging battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and loss of consortium. Loss of consortium refers to compensation for damage to mutually dependent relationships.
According to Variety, although charges against Baldwin were dropped, involuntary manslaughter charges remain against Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer for the movie.
