Alec Baldwin’s motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by three “Rust” crew members on set for the 2021 accidental fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins was denied Wednesday, as was his request to have the matter postponed until after any criminal trials have concluded.
New Mexico District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid swiftly dispatched the dismissal motion brought by Baldwin along with codefendants El Dorado Pictures and Rust Movie Productions. (In civil matters, motions to dismiss are a routine stop in the pre-trial phase — and are almost universally denied.)
The lawsuit was filed this year by crew members Ross Adding, a dolly operator; Doran Curtin, a set costumer and Reese Price, a key grip. All say they were inside the New Mexico church at the time of the shooting and are seeking unspecified damages for “blast injuries” and post-traumatic stress anxiety.
Earlier this week, the criminal trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer charged with manslaughter responsible for the weapon, was pushed back to February of next year. No specific reason was given beyond witness scheduling conflicts.
Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin were both charged with manslaughter in January, but the charges against the actor were dropped in April. However, new evidence indicating that the Colt .45 indeed had gone off from a trigger-pull have raised the possibility that charges could be refiled.
“Rust” wrapped principal photography this spring in Montana. It has not yet been given a release date.
