Alec Baldwin attends his involuntary manslaughter trial in 1st 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 for the death of Rust CINEMATOGRAPHY Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin, 66, is suing the Santa Fe, New Mexico, special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey and the First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwiesamong others, 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 involuntary manslaughter.
The suit alleges that the defendants “were blinded by their desire to convict Alec Baldwin for all the wrong reasons and at all costs. The defendants sought at every turn to scapegoat Baldwin for the actions and inactions of others, despite by the evidence or the law.”
Alec Baldwin was recently indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges for a second time in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie Rust — and legal expert Neama Rahmani is explaining why the charges weren’t brought the first time. “I have received many questions about this (…)
“Criminal prosecutions are supposed to be about the pursuit of truth and justice, not about pursuing personal or political gain or harassing the innocent,” Baldwin’s attorneys. Luka Nik AND Alex Spiro said in a statement to LA Times. “Kari Morrissey and the other defendants violated that basic principle, repeatedly, and violated Alec Baldwin’s rights.”
“In October 2023, the prosecution team became aware that Mr. Baldwin intended to file a retaliatory civil action,” Morrissey said in a statement to the media. “We look forward to our day in court.”
Baldwin faced two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the accidental killing 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 a Western.
Baldwin, who denied pulling the trigger, was later charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 and pleaded not guilty a month later. Criminal charges were dropped in April 2023. However, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter a second time and went on trial in July 2024.
The second case was dismissed by the judge of the first judicial district Mary Marlowe Sommer last summer. Sommer agreed with Baldwin’s attorneys that prosecutors withheld evidence that could be related to the fatal shooting.
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images Many jurors from Alec Baldwin’s Rust trial are voicing their opinions on the merits of the case after it was dismissed. Speaking to The New York Times, Johanna Haag and Gabriela Picayo said they had doubts about Baldwin’s case before it went to court. “As the week went by… it didn’t happen (…)
“There is no way the court can right this wrong,” Sommer told the court, per NBC News. “The sanction of dismissal is the only guaranteed remedy.”
In December 2024, Morrissey, who sought to reinstate the charges against Baldwin, announced that the case against the actor had been dismissed due to a lack of support from the district attorney’s office. As a result, Baldwin will no longer face criminal charges over the incident.
Alec Baldwin issued an official response after his involuntary manslaughter trial was dismissed. “There are too many people who have supported me to thank 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 resolve the case in a fair and comprehensive manner have faced numerous obstacles that have compromised its ability to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Morrissey said in a news release. New York Times.
film maker, Hannah Gutierrez-Reedwas found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her lawyers’ appeal for a new trial was rejected in September 2024.
