Alec Baldwin Suffers Legal Setback in 'Rust' Shooting Civil Lawsuit

Alec Baldwin has suffered a legal setback in a civil lawsuit over the on-set Rust shooting. Earlier this year, Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin, and Reese Price — all crew members who worked on Rust — filed their lawsuit against Baldwin, El Dorado Pictures, and Rust Movie Productions, alleging "negligent and reckless conduct." Deadline reports that Baldwin's legal team recently filed a motion to dismiss the case against the actor and his co-defendants. However, New Mexico's First Judicial District Court judge Bryan Biedscheid denied their motion. 

Additionally, the judge also denied a motion to postpone the case until after the state's criminal trial is concluded. Judge Biedscheid stated that he "doesn't know" the state of "criminal prosecution with Mr. Baldwin" at this time, but added that it was "surprisingly common" for a defendant to face criminal and civil cases concurrently. While he did not dismiss or pause the case, Judge Biedscheid did leave room for the defendants to be able to "assert their constitutional rights as they see fit" in the future.

Previously, statements from Addiego and Price were included in a police report on the fatal 2021 Rust shooting, which claimed the life of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Among the unearthed information, per Deadline, were noted troubles with prop guns prior to the deadly incident. Addiego, a dolly grip, told authorities that armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and her crew had issues with weapons the previous week, allegedly involving "negligent discharges."

Addiego claimed that Gutierrez-Reed was preparing one of the six guns for use when a revolver went off near her foot. The dolly grip also reported a discharged gun that went off in a cabin set, stating that it wasn't announced. This, per Addiego, would have been the responsibility of assistant director Dave Halls to let the crew know. Notably, Addiego was present for the tragic shooting, when the gun held by Baldwin allegedly went off unexpectedly. Addiego claims that, prior to the incident, he heard Gutierrez-Reed say that the prop gun was clear.

Seemingly supporting Addiego's recollection of things, Price, a key grip who was also present for the terrible tragedy, stated that he was aware of prop gun issues, including "accidental discharge" incidents that occurred "twice last week all in one day." Per the police report, Price told officers: "One of the accidental discharges occurred by 'armorer girl' who was messing with a gun. The 'armorer girl' had the gun pointed down, when it went off accidentally. The second time, one of the stunt actors went to cock the gun and it went off accidentally inside a shack. Reese expressed his concern about accidental discharges occurring on this particular set, which is something that is not supposed to happen."

In addition to Hutchins' fatal wounds, Rust director Joel Souza was non-fatally injured during the incident. On Jan. 19, 2023, it was announced that both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed would be charged with involuntary manslaughter. The charges against Baldwin have since been dropped, though the investigation will remain open due to Gutierrez-Reed still facing charges.