Despite his involuntary manslaughter case stemming from the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust officially coming to an end in December with the withdrawal of a prosecutor's appeal of its dismissal in July, producer and actor Alec Baldwin has now filed a lawsuit against the prosecution over malicious abuse of process.
In the civil rights complaint filed yesterday (January 9) at the state district court in Santa Fe, NM, Baldwin named special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, as well as three investigators from the Santa Fe County sheriff's office and the county board of commissioners, among the defendants. He alleged that he was targeted for professional or political gain, claiming that prosecutors intentionally mishandled and concealed evidence that would have vindicated him.
"Defendants sought at every turn to scapegoat Baldwin for the acts and omissions of others, regardless of the evidence or the law," the filing reads, with Carmack-Altwies and Morrissey being further accused of manipulating evidence and eliciting false testimony. Baldwin is also alleging defamation, claiming the prosecutors made statements to the media that he argues falsely implied his responsibility for Hutchins's death, "blinded by their desire to convict [him] for all the wrong reasons."
"Defendants, while acting under the colour of law, conspired to procure a groundless indictment against Baldwin and to maliciously bring about or advance Baldwin's trial and conviction, thus violating Baldwin's constitutional rights by their improper use of the criminal process," states the lawsuit.
Baldwin is seeking unspecified damages and demanding a jury trial. As aforementioned, the case officially ended last month after Morrissey withdrew her appeal of its dismissal with prejudice in July. The case was thrown out following a three-day trial, where Baldwin's attorneys claimed that the prosecution had hidden evidence about ammunition.
Earlier last year, Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her involvement in the firing of the prop gun that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza during a scene rehearsal on the set of the Neo-Western indie film.
The jury found that, in her role as armourer, Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for ensuring the safety of all firearms on set, with the prosecution alleging that she loaded the fully functional .45 revolver used by Baldwin with at least one live round. The actor has said [via The Guardian] that he had pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — when the weapon unexpectedly fired.
Rust, which completed filming in Montana in the spring of 2023 with Souza once again at the helm, had its world premiere last November at Poland's Camerimage film festival.