LOS ANGELES | The family of a filmmaker killed by the accidental shooting of a revolver on the set of the western Rust filed a lawsuit on Tuesday once morest actor Alec Baldwin, claiming “substantial” damages, his lawyers said.
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At the time of the tragedy, on October 21 on a ranch in Santa Fe (New Mexico), Alec Baldwin was handling a revolver while working on a scene with cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She had been presented with the weapon as harmless, as it was supposed to contain only dummy bullets, but the shot went off, fatally wounding the 42-year-old filmmaker.
Brian Panish, who represents the husband and son of Halyna Hutchins, notably questioned Alec Baldwin’s “dangerous behavior” at a press conference on Tuesday. He also accused the cost-saving measures decided by the actor and the other producers of the low-budget western of having resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins.
The lawyer quoted a list identifying according to him “at least 15 criteria” in force in the cinema industry which were ignored on the set of Rust by production.
Mr. Panish believes in particular that a dummy revolver should have been used rather than an operational weapon and that there was no individual qualified to handle firearms at the time of the accident. He finally deplored the fact that the team was not equipped with protective equipment, as is the case during the filming of certain scenes requiring the firing of blank cartridges.
The lawsuit was filed in the state of New Mexico, where Halyna Hutchins’ death occurred.
Asked regarding the amount of compensation that the family was going to ask for, Brian Panish replied: “We think it will be substantial”.
This complaint is in addition to many other civil proceedings already initiated in recent months by members of the film crew.
In November, the lighting chief Serge Svetnoy had filed a complaint for “negligence” once morest the actor, the production and the gunsmith of the shooting, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
The latter herself filed a complaint last month once morest the man who had provided the ammunition used on the set, accusing him of having left live ammunition among the dummy cartridges.
A criminal investigation is still ongoing.
In particular, the police are looking to find out how live ammunition might have been found on the set, which is in theory strictly prohibited.
No arrests have been made to date in this case, but criminal proceedings are not excluded in the event that responsibilities are established, the services of the Santa Fe prosecutor pointed out shortly following the tragedy.
In an interview with ABC, Alec Baldwin said he felt neither guilty nor even “responsible” for the death of Halyna Hutchins, assuring that she had asked him to point his revolver at her, supposed to be completely inert.
