Alec Baldwin sues prosecutors, sheriff's officials over 'Rust' case

Actor Alec Baldwin sued New Mexico prosecutors and sheriff's office officials on Thursday, alleging a "malicious" prosecution against him for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie "Rust."

The action against special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and others is among at least a dozen civil lawsuits filed over Hutchins' death, which shocked Hollywood and sparked calls for an overhaul of firearms safety on movie sets.

The lawsuit, filed in a Santa Fe court, followed the dramatic dismissal of Baldwin's case during his July manslaughter trial in the New Mexico capital.

A judge ruled the special prosecutor and sheriff's office deliberately withheld evidence from Baldwin on the source of a live round that killed Hutchins.

Alec Baldwin in Rust IMDb

Baldwin's attorneys say that for the better part of three years, New Mexico officials pursued him for "political" and "personal" goals in a "conspiracy" to bring him to trial. The complaint seeks financial damages via a jury trial.

"Defendants must now be held accountable for their malicious and unlawful pursuit of Baldwin," they wrote in the complaint.

They said actions ranged from special prosecutor Andrea Reeb's comment that the case could benefit her political career as a Republican state representative to Morrissey presenting "false and incomplete" testimony to win a grand jury indictment.

Morrissey said prosecutors had long known the actor would file a retaliatory civil lawsuit.

"We look forward to our day in court," she said in a text message.

Reeb and the Santa Fe sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Ukrainian-born cinematographer died when Baldwin pointed his pistol at her, cocked it, and possibly pulled the trigger as they set up a camera shot on a movie set near Santa Fe, his lawyers said.

The gun, a reproduction 1873 single-action army revolver, fired a live round inadvertently loaded by Hannah Gutierrez, the movie's weapons handler. Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: US actor Alec Baldwin hugs his attorney Alex Spiro at the conclusion of Baldwin's trial on involuntary manslaughter at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on July 12, 2024. Baldwin's trial for involuntary manslaughter was dismissed by a judge Friday after she ruled that key evidence over a fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" had been withheld from the defense. RAMSAY DE GIVE/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Baldwin, also a "Rust" producer, has always said live rounds should not have been allowed on set and was not responsible for weapons safety.

His lawsuit focuses on Morrissey's and sheriff’s office officials' decision to file evidence on the source of live rounds under a different case number from the “Rust” case.

New Mexico First Judicial District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer tossed the case because "willful withholding of this information" came "so near to bad faith as to show signs of scorching prejudice."

Morrissey denied wrongdoing.

Baldwin must now prove that the defendants are not protected by state law, which provides immunity to officials sued for conduct within the scope of their duties.