At a Los Angeles news conference, lawyers for Halyna Hutchins and Matthew Hutchins made public the lawsuit they filed in New Mexico on behalf of Hutchins’ wife, Halyna Hutchins, as well as their son, Andros.
There have been at least three other lawsuits filed regarding the shooting. However, this one is directly related to the victim.
Attorney Brian Pannish stated that Baldwin’s “reckless conduct” and “cost-cutting measures” led to Halyna Hutchins’ death.
The attorneys created a video that showed an animated recreation.
Baldwin was pointing his gun at Hutchins as he set up for filming a scene in the western in New Mexico. On October 21, it went off and killed Hutchins. It also injured the director Joel Souza. Baldwin claimed that he was pointing the gun at Hutchins on her instructions and the gun went off without him pulling any trigger.
In the video, the attorneys stated that Baldwin turned down training to draw the gun he used when he shot Hutchins.
According to industry standards, a prop gun of the same type is required for any setup. A real gun was not necessary.
An attorney for Baldwin and the other “Rust” producers stated that any claim that Baldwin was reckless was “entirely false.”
Halyna, Halyna, and the rest relied on statements by two professionals who checked the gun. They stated that the gun was a “cold gun” which means there is no chance of a blank or other type of discharge. The protocol was successful on thousands of films with millions of bullets. “Actors should have the ability to trust armorers, prop department professionals, and assistant directors to decide when a gun can be used safely.”
Nearly three months after the shooting Baldwin handed over his phone to New York State authorities last month. They collected information from the phone, and gave it to Santa Fe County investigators who had obtained a warrant.
Investigators described “some complacency,” in the way weapons were handled on “Rust”. They said that it was too early to know if charges will be brought.
Baldwin stated that he doesn’t believe he would be charged criminally in the shooting.
Hutchins’ script supervisor and lead camera operator, who were both standing just feet away at the time, also filed lawsuits.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed was also named in the lawsuits as a defendant and was blamed by some. She filed her own suit claiming that an ammunition supplier caused dangerous conditions by including live ammunition inside a box meant to contain only dummy ammunition.
Baldwin spoke out in December to ABC News, expressing deep sadness at the shooting but not guilt.
Baldwin stated, “Someone is responsible, and I cannot say who that person is, but it is not me.”
Hutchins asked him to point his gun at her armpit, just off-camera.
Baldwin stated, “I didn’t pull the trigger.” Baldwin said, “I wouldn’t point a gun at anybody and pull the trigger at them.” Never.”
Hutchins was “someone who was loved and admired by everyone who worked with her.”
Hutchins (42), grew up in a Soviet military base. He worked in documentary filmmaking in Eastern Europe, before moving to Los Angeles to study film and begin a promising career in movie-making.
Hutchins described herself on her Instagram as an “adrenaline junkie” and “restless dreamer”.
American Cinematographer named her one of 2019’s rising stars in a 2019 interview. She described herself as an “army brat” who was drawn to movies because there wasn’t much outside. She documented herself parachuting, exploring caves and other adventures. Through her collaboration with British filmmakers she became “fascinated by storytelling based upon real characters.”