Alec Baldwin will now have to defend himself before a civil jury over claims of negligence stemming from the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film Rust."
According to Gateway Pundit, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter ruled on Friday that a lawsuit brought by crew member Serge Svetnoy may proceed to trial this fall. NBC News reported: A judge ruled on Friday that a civil case against actor Alec Baldwin over alleged negligence on the Rust set in 2021 can proceed to trial this fall.
Baldwin shot and killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded 48-year-old director Joel Souza during filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021. Svetnoy, a veteran lighting technician and gaffer on Rust, says he was nearly struck by the same bullet and has sued for emotional distress and other damages.
Svetnoy first filed his lawsuit in November 2021, alleging that cost-cutting and corner-cutting measures on the production created a dangerous environment. He claimed Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and other producers were consciously aware of the wrongfulness and harmfulness of their conduct.
He further alleges that he suffered emotional distress due to negligence by Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions. Judge Leiter has allowed Svetnoys claims for punitive damages, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress to move forward, signaling the courts willingness to scrutinize the productions safety practices.
In a separate criminal case brought by Santa Fe prosecutors, Baldwin had been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins death. In July 2024, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed that case with prejudice, barring prosecutors from refiling the charges after Baldwins defense accused the state of concealing evidence.
Alec Baldwins defense team accused state prosecutors of concealing evidence. In a stunning move, the judge dismissed the charges in the middle of the trial! Yet while the criminal case has collapsed, the civil action ensures Baldwin and the productions alleged cost-cutting and corner-cutting will still face rigorous public examination, raising broader questions about accountability and safety standards in Hollywoods increasingly politicized and profit-driven industry.
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