In yet another lawsuit, Actor Alec Baldwin has been accused of playing Russian roulette with safety in the minutes leading up to the ‘Rust’ shooting of cinematographer Hutchins.
The new lawsuit claims US actor Alec Baldwin “chose to play Russian roulette” with safety.
This suit is the second to be filed in a week over the killing of Halyna Hutchins during rehearsals for Western movie, ‘Rust’ in New Mexico last month.
The suit filed by script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, who made an emotional 911 call moments after the accident, accuses Baldwin and his fellow producers of assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and deliberate infliction of harm.
Mitchell’s attorney, Gloria Allred, told reporters in Los Angeles, “The events that led to the shooting by Mr. Baldwin of a loaded gun do not constitute simple negligence.”
“Instead, in our opinion, Mr. Baldwin chose to play Russian roulette when he fired a gun without checking and without having the armorer do so in his presence.
“His behavior and that of the producers on ‘Rust’ was reckless.”
The suit also names Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls as defendants.
“Mr. Baldwin and industry veterans knew that the gun in question should never have been given to him by the assistant director. And then he could not rely upon any statement by the assistant director as to whether or not the gun was safe to use,” Allred said
“Industry practice is for the armorer to demonstrate the gun is safe and for that person to hand it directly to the actor,” she said.
“Mr. Baldwin knew that this was the norm and that it was not followed. And he did not check the gun himself.”
Last week, Baldwin and others were sued for negligence by chief lighting technician Serge Svetnoy.
Experts have agreed that a rash of civil legal action is expected in connection with the tragedy.
Sheriff of Santa Fe County, Adan Mendoza, where the movie set was located spoke of “complacency” on the set.
Mendoza revealed that his officers seized more than 500 rounds of ammunition from the set, which they believed to be a mix of blanks, dummy rounds, and some suspected live ammunition.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has also refused to rule out criminal charges over the incident, which has sparked calls for the banning of functional weapons on Hollywood sets.
