Alec Baldwin launches civil rights lawsuit against officials regarding ‘Rust’ prosecution

Posted On January 10, 2025January 10, 2025

Actor Alec Baldwin had filed a civil rights claiming that he was wrongly accused of manslaughter of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin filed a 73-page suit against the prosecutors and investigators, claiming wrongdoing on several occasions, including false accusations and withholding evidence.

The suit follows the dismissal of Baldwin’s trial alleging that, in October 2021, while filming on the set of Rust, the actor accidentally fired a prop gun with a live round in it, fatally shooting Hutchins.

Although he was charged, he has consistently voiced his innocence, alongside the movie’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who also pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. However, Gutierrez-Reed was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison for evidence tampering.

The latest suit filed by Baldwin against Santa Fe officials states that they “conspired to procure a groundless indictment” against Baldwin “under the colour of the law,” leading to a violation of the actor’s constitutional rights “by their improper use of the criminal process.”

In a statement, Baldwin’s lawyers, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas, said: “Criminal prosecutions are supposed to be about the search for truth and justice, not to pursue personal or political gain or harass the innocent.”

Adding: “Kari Morrissey and the other defendants violated that basic principle, over and over, and trampled on Alec Baldwin’s rights. We bring this action to hold the defendants accountable for their misconduct and to prevent them from doing this to anyone else.”

This follows Baldwin’s recent pledge to “expose” the truth about what happened that day, opening up on David Duchovny’s Fail Better podcast about the details that have yet to come to light.

“The truth of what happened has never been told,” he hinted, saying, “There’s more to come, but the more to come is now my effort, and it’s going to be undeniably a successful effort, to raise and to expose what really happened.”

Baldwin initially went on trial last July, but the case was dismissed by a judge after they ruled that the prosecution had withheld evidence. However, Baldwin now faces a long battle, along with his claim that he was improperly accused. As he reflected: “I was counterpunching. I was on the defensive. I was being accused. I was being indicted.”

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