Actor Alec Baldwin could face a civil trial over a 2021 shooting on the set of the film Rust, after a judge ruled a lawsuit could go to trial. The lawsuit, which was filed by Serge Svetnoy, who worked as the lighting technician on the film, alleges the Hollywood actor was negligent leading up to the shooting.
While he was rehearsing a scene on the film set in New Mexico, Baldwin’s prop gun fired a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza in 2021.
Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, and a criminal case against him was dismissed in 2024.
Svetnoy claims a bullet narrowly missed him and accuses Baldwin and the film’s production company of violating gun safety protocols.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter allowed Svetnoy’s claims of negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, but threw out a claim of assault, according to documents released on Friday.
If no settlement is reached, a civil trial date has been provisionally set for 12 October.
The BBC has contacted a lawyer representing the defendants for comment.
Baldwin and the movie’s producers previously settled a lawsuit with Hutchins’ family.
A New Mexico judge threw out the criminal case against Baldwin in 2024 based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defence.
During the trial, Baldwin’s lawyers had alleged police and prosecutors hid evidence – a batch of bullets – that could have been connected to the shooting.
Prosecutors argued the ammunition was not connected to the case and did not match bullets found on the Rust set. The judge ruled, however, that they should have been shared with Baldwin’s defence team regardless.
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be revived once any appeals against the decision are exhausted.
The film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2024.
By BBC News
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