Alec Baldwin attends his involuntary manslaughter trial in First Judicial District Court on July 12, 2024 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Ramsay from Give-Pool/Getty ImagesAlex Baldwin takes legal action after prosecutors filed charges against him in the death of Rust director of photography Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin, 66, accuses Santa Fe, New Mexico special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey and first judicial district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwiesamong other things, malicious prosecution and violations of civil rights, according to The Hollywood Reporter And The Los Angeles Times.
The lawsuit, filed in a New Mexico federal court on Thursday, Jan. 9, claims the prosecution team intentionally withheld evidence that could justify him on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were “blinded by their desire to convict Alec Baldwin for all the wrong reasons and at all costs.” Defendants sought at every turn to scapegoat Baldwin for the acts and omissions of others, regardless of evidence or the law.
Alec Baldwin was recently charged for the second time with manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust – and legal expert Neama Rahmani explains why the charges failed held the first time. “I’ve been asked a lot of questions about this (…)
“Criminal prosecutions are supposed to be about the pursuit of truth and justice, not the pursuit of personal or political gain or the harassment of innocent people,” Baldwin’s lawyers said. Luc Nick And Alex Spiro said in a statement to Los Angeles Times. “Kari Morrissey and the other defendants have repeatedly violated this basic principle and trampled on Alec Baldwin’s rights.”
“In October 2023, the prosecution team became aware that Mr. Baldwin intended to file a civil action in retaliation,” Morrissey said in a statement to the media outlet. “We look forward to our day in court.”
Baldwin twice faced manslaughter charges following the accidental shooting of Hutchins in October 2021. Hutchins was killed and Rust director Joel Souza was injured when a prop gun fired a real bullet on the set of the western.
Baldwin, who denied pulling the trigger, was later charged with two counts of manslaughter in January 2023 and pleaded not guilty a month later. The criminal charges were dropped in April 2023. However, he was charged a second time with manslaughter and stood trial in July 2024.
The second case was dismissed by the First Judicial District judge Mary Marlowe Sommer last summer. Sommer agreed with Baldwin’s lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that could have been linked to the fatal shooting.
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images Several jurors in Alec Baldwin’s Rust trial are expressing their opinions on the validity of the case after it was dismissed. Speaking to The New York Times, Johanna Haag and Gabriela Picayo expressed their doubts about Baldwin’s case before it was thrown out of court. “As the week went on… it didn’t work (…)
“There is no way the court can right this wrong,” Sommer told the court, according to NBC News. “The sanction of dismissal is the only justified remedy.”
In December 2024, Morrissey, who was seeking to reinstate charges against Baldwin, announced that charges against the actor had been dropped due to a lack of support from the prosecutor’s office. As a result, Baldwin will no longer face criminal charges for this incident.
Alec Baldwin has released an official response after his manslaughter lawsuit was dismissed. “There are too many people who supported me to thank them just now,” Baldwin, 66, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, July 13. “To all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness to my family.” A New Mexico (…)
“The State’s efforts to continue to litigate the case fairly and comprehensively have encountered multiple obstacles that have compromised its ability to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Morrissey said in a press release . The New York Times.
The gunsmith in the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reedwas convicted of manslaughter in March 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. His lawyers’ appeal for a new trial was rejected in September 2024.
