Alec Baldwin attends his manslaughter trial in First Judicial District Court on July 12, 2024. in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Ramsay de Give-Pool/Getty ImagesAlec Baldwin is taking legal action after prosecutors sought criminal charges against him over the death of Rust cinematographer Halina Hutchins.
Baldwin, 66, is suing the special prosecutor for Santa Fe, New Mexico Carrie T. Morrissey and First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Althuisamong others, for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations, per The Hollywood Reporter and Los Angeles Times.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New Mexico on Thursday, Jan. 9, alleges the prosecution team intentionally withheld evidence that would have acquitted him of 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. At every turn, the defendants tried to exonerate Baldwin for the actions and inactions of others, regardless of the evidence or the law.
Alec Baldwin was recently indicted on manslaughter charges for the second time in connection with the death of cameraman Halina Hutchins on the set of his movie Rust — and legal expert Neama Rahmani explains why the charges didn’t stick the first time. “I got a lot of questions about this (…)
“Criminal prosecutions should be about the pursuit of truth and justice, not about pursuing personal or political gain or harassing the innocent,” Baldwin’s attorneys Luke Nick and Alex Spiro said in a statement to LA Times. “Carrie Morrissey and the other defendants have violated this basic principle time and time again and trampled on Alec Baldwin’s rights.”
“In October 2023 the prosecution team has learned that Mr. Baldwin intends to file a counterclaim,” Morrissey said in a statement to the publication. “We look forward to our day in court.”
Baldwin twice facing involuntary manslaughter charges for the accidental shooting of Hutchins in October 2021. Hutchins was killed and Rust director Joel Souza was injured when a prop gun fired a live bullet on the set of the western movie.
Baldwin, who denied pulling the trigger, was later charged with two counts of manslaughter in January 2023. and pleaded not guilty a month later. Criminal charges were dropped in April 2023. But he was charged with manslaughter for a second time and headed to trial in July 2024.
The second case was fired by First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer last summer. Sommer agreed with Baldwin’s attorneys that prosecutors withheld evidence that might be related to the fatal shooting.
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images Multiple jurors from Alec Baldwin’s Rust trial voice their opinions on the validity of the case after it was dismissed. Speaking to The New York Times, Johanna Haag and Gabriela Picayo revealed that they had doubts about Baldwin’s case before it was thrown out in court. “As the week goes on… no (…)
“There’s no way the court can fix this mistake,” Sommer told the court, according to NBC News. “The sanction of dismissal is the only justifiable remedy.”
In December 2024 Morrissey, who attempted to reinstate the charges against Baldwin, announced that the case against the actor was dropped due to lack of cooperation from the District Prosecutor’s Office. As a result, Baldwin will no longer face criminal charges over the incident.
Alec Baldwin released an official response after his manslaughter case was dismissed. “There are too many people who have supported me to thank right 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.” New Mexico (…)
“The state’s efforts to continue to litigate the case in a fair and comprehensive manner encountered numerous barriers that compromised its ability to prosecute to the full extent of the law,” Morrissey said in a news release, on New York Times.
The Gunslinger of the Movie, Hannah Gutierrez-Reidwas found guilty of manslaughter in March 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her lawyers’ appeal for a new trial was refused in September 2024
