Alec Baldwin seeking dismissal of 'Rust' crew members' civil suit

A New Mexico court will hear a motion Wednesday by attorneys for actor-producer Alec Baldwin, asking that a civil suit by three crew members of the ill-fated Western movie “Rust” be dismissed.

The February lawsuit alleges the trio suffered physical and emotional trauma when a live round in a prop gun Baldwin was holding discharged, resulting in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the wounding of director Joel Souza in October 2021.

Dolly operator Ross Addiego “was arm’s length from Hutchins and also facing Defendant Baldwin” during rehearsals at a movie ranch near Santa Fe, according to the suit, while costumer Doran Curtin “stood slightly to the right of Hutchins” and also facing Baldwin, while key grip Reese Price “was walking towards” Baldwin “and was roughly six feet away.” When the gun fired due to alleged “negligent and reckless conduct,” the three “suffered physical trauma” resulting in “hearing loss, temporary deafness, and vibrational shock” as well as “severe emotional distress.”

The plaintiffs, who sued both Baldwin and his production company, El Dorado Pictures, asked the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico, in Santa Fe, for a jury trial seeking unspecified but “appropriate” compensatory and punitive damages, as well as court costs.

Additionally on Wednesday, that same First Judicial District Court of New Mexico will hear a motion by the trio’s attorneys to stay the lawsuit until a criminal trial against “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed concludes. During a status hearing Monday, the court set jury selection in the Gutierrez-Reed trial for Feb. 21. The sole person criminally charged at this point, Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.

Charges against Amityville-born and Massapequa-raised Emmy Award winner Baldwin were dismissed this April. Prosecutors said in June they would decide within 60 days, now lapsed, whether to refile charges against the star. Baldwin and Hutchins’ estate had settled a wrongful-death civil lawsuit in October.

Attorneys for Addiego, Curtin and Price did not respond to a Newsday request for comment.

The Western drama “Rust,” about a boy (Patrick Scott McDermott) and his outlaw grandfather (Baldwin), resumed production this April 20 after shutting down following the accident. It completed principal photography May 22 at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Park County, Montana. Director Souza returned to the production, on which the late Hutchins’ husband now serves as an executive producer. New cinematographer Bianca Cline ("Marcel the Shell with Shoes On") said she is donating her salary to charity.