Alec Baldwin's Wrongful Death Settlement Approved for Halyna Hutchins' Family

A settlement agreement in a February 2022 wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Halyna Hutchins against Alec Baldwin and other Rust crew members has been approved. The approval was made Thursday by a district court judge in Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to a statement released by Barry Massey, a public information officer at the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Court. The approval, which followed a sequestered hearing, according to Entertainment Tonight, came after Hutchins' widower Matthew Hutchins announced a settlement agreement had been reached in the lawsuit in October.

Details of the settlement, as well as documents and materials related to the settlement, have been sealed and are not available to the public. However, CNN reports that per the court order, the settlement set up structured annuities, which will provide payments to Hutchins' minor child when he reaches the ages of 18 and 22. Matthew also indicated in October that as part of the agreement, Rust was to be completed with him serving as an executive producer. The movie resumed filming in Montana in April and wrapped late last month.

Hutchins was killed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin is said to have been rehearsing for a scene with a prop revolver that was accidentally loaded with live rounds and fired. Hutchins was fatally shot, with Rust director Joel Souza also wounded in the incident.

In February 2022, Hutchins' husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin, the film's production companies, its producers, and some members of the crew, alleging numerous violations of industry standards that contributed to Hutchins' death. When the settlement was reached, Matthew shared in. a statement, "I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

The approval of the settlement follows April's announcement that involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin were dropped after "new facts" surfaced. Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was also charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection to Hutchins' death. Charges against her remain unchanged, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. An attorney for Gutierrez Reed has previously said she will plead not guilty. Baldwin, meanwhile, still faces several lawsuits stemming from the incident.