The drama had shaken the world of cinema, questioned the practices of Hollywood and devastated the family of the victim. At the end of October, on the set of the western “Rust”, in Santa Fe (New Mexico), actor Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Nearly four months later, the family of the filmmaker killed by the accidental shooting filed a complaint Tuesday against actor Alec Baldwin. She is claiming damages “substantial”announced his lawyers.
Brian Panish, who represents the husband and son of Halyna Hutchins, notably questioned during a press conference on Tuesday the “dangerous behavior” by Alec Baldwin. At the end of November, in an interview with the ABC chain, Alec Baldwin had denied any responsibility in the accident. ‘I have a feeling someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who it is, but I know it’s not’he said then.
The lawyer 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” prevailing in the film industry that were ignored on the set of “Rust” by the production.
Many complaints
Lawyer Brian 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.
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” against the actor, the production and the gunsmith of the shooting, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The latter herself filed a complaint last month against 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. So far, no arrests have been made in this case.