by The parents and sister of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on Rust set in 2021, filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and others involved in the production over his death.
Attorney Gloria Allred is representing those family members — Halyna’s father and mother, Anatoly and Olga Androsovych, and her sister Svetlana, who live in Ukraine — and gave a press conference Thursday in Los Angeles. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the Baldwin defendants, the producers of Rust and many others included in the film, including gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed, first assistant director Dave Halls, prop master Sarah Zachary and ammunition supplier Seth Kenney.
The lawsuit alleges battery, willful infliction of emotional distress, negligence and loss of syndicate for the plaintiffs. Allred said the consortium’s claim “seeks to recover damages to certain relationships that are mutually dependent,” noting that Halyna has supported her family financially.
“Halyna was the light in their lives,” Allred said. “The tragic loss of her daughter and her sister is heartbreaking,” and they are coping with it while living in war-torn Ukraine, where Olga is an emergency room nurse. Her death is a “wound that will last forever”.
It was noted that the family’s plan was always for Halyna to “bring her family to the United States so they could be together” – a dream that will now “never happen”. Yet they hope they can finally live in the United States and “be a big part” in the lives of their nephew Andros and son-in-law Matthew Hutchins.
In a video, Svetlana said her brother’s death was “one of my greatest losses in my life” and said their parents’ health had “shrunk sharply”. Olga was too emotional to speak.
Allred, who shared photos of Halyna with his family members, said the family is close to Matthew and supported his decision to settle his lawsuit with Baldwin and Rust manufacturers last year.
When asked about the differences between the two suits, Allred said the settlement for Matthew “was for [him] and his son. We now represent other family members – mum, dad and sister – and there has been no settlement for them. In fact, there was no contact with them from Mr. Baldwin to say he was sorry. So we want accountability and justice for them. It’s that simple.”
Halyna, a rising star in her field, was killed — from a pistol in Baldwin’s grasp — while preparing a camera shot during rehearsals on the New Mexico set of the low-budget western. Baldwin, who was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter with prosecutors last month, alleging he was “distracted” during weapons training and exhibited “reckless deviation” from standard safety protocols on set, he maintained that he did not pull the trigger despite the FBI forensic report finding that the gun could not fire without the trigger being pulled.
Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who supervised the handling of the guns on set, was also charged with two counts of manslaughter. First assistant director Dave Halls — whom Baldwin said told him the gun was “cold,” meaning it didn’t contain live ammunition — made a plea deal with prosecutors over the negligent use of a charge of deadly weapon. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was shot in the same round, but survived.
It’s still unclear how a live round got to set in the first place, and Gutierrez Reed has denied knowing. Her attorneys said she was under “extreme pressure” and was “rushed” to the set as she juggled two jobs, and she vowed that she “will be cleared of the charge.”
Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed are expected to make their first remote court appearance on February 24. Halls’ appeal conference is scheduled for March 8.
As noted, Matthew settled a lawsuit with Rust producers, of whom Baldwin was one, filed on behalf of himself and the couple’s young son in October. Part of the terms of the deal include Matthew taking over as executive producer Rustwhich is expected to resume production with Baldwin in the lead role.
After the criminal charges were filed, Matthew’s attorney Brian Panish said in a statement that he supported the allegations, saying their independent investigation also supported the allegations. “It’s a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law.”
Luke Nikas, a lawyer for Baldwin, said the decision to press charges “distorts the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins and represents a terrible mistrial. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun – or anywhere on the film set. He relied on the professionals he worked with, who assured him the gun had no live bullets. We will fight these charges and we will win.”
There have been other lawsuits filed in the wake of the fatal on-set shooting. Allred is also representing Rust script supervisor Mamie Mitchell against Baldwin and his holding company El Dorado Pictures, Inc., for injuries she claims she sustained when “he discharged a loaded gun at” her.
