Alec Baldwin sues 'Rust' case prosecutors, investigators for malicious prosecution, civil rights violation, defamation
Alec Baldwin filed a civil suit for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations months after a court dropped his involuntary manslaughter charge over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of Rust.
The Associated Press reported that Baldwin filed the case at a state district court in Sante Fe on Thursday, Jan. 9. It's the same court that dismissed his involuntary manslaughter charge over the death of Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin also accused prosecutors and investigators of defamation, saying they intentionally mishandled evidence as they pursued the case against him.
Defendants named in the lawsuit include special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, plus three investigators from the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office and the county board of commissioners.
“Defendants sought at every turn to scapegoat Baldwin for the acts and omissions of others, regardless of the evidence or the law,” his lawsuit states.
It also states that prosecutors and investigators targeted Baldwin for professional or political gain.
Baldwin was holding a prop gun on the Rust set in 2021 when it discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. He insisted that he didn’t pull the trigger and knew the gun accidentally had live ammunition.
Dave Halls, the safety coordinator and assistant director who handed Baldwin the loaded gun, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to six months probation.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, meanwhile, was convicted of manslaughter in March 2024. She's facing 18 months in prison and is appealing her conviction.
Baldwin was slated for trial in July that year, but the court tossed his case after revelations that ammunition was brought into the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins’ killing.
Prosecutors said they deemed the ammo unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin’s lawyers said investigators “buried” the evidence.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said bullets potentially linked to the death of Hutchins could have been favorable to Baldwin's case, but police and prosecutors didn't share the information with his lawyers.
"The state's willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate. If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so near to bad faith as to show signs of scorching prejudice," Sommer said. "The court concludes that this conduct is highly prejudicial to the defendant."
