New Mexico judge dismisses Alec Baldwin's 'malicious' prosecution suit in 'Rust' case
Judge Casey Fitch dismissed Baldwin's complaint on Tuesday for lack of "significant action" in the case over the past 180 days. The one-page order, made public on Wednesday, allows any party in the lawsuit to seek reinstatement within 30 days.
Baldwin sued special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, Santa Fe County law enforcement investigators and other public officials in January, accusing them of malicious abuse of process, defamation and mishandling of evidence.
The lawsuit said the prosecutors and others had conspired to manufacture a criminal case against Baldwin for political and personal gain when they charged him with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin's lawyer did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the dismissal of the suit.
The civil suit followed the abrupt dismissal of Baldwin's criminal case in July 2024 during his trial in the New Mexico capital.
The trial judge ruled then that the special prosecutor and sheriff's office had deliberately withheld evidence from Baldwin on the source of a live round that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.
Hutchins' death, Hollywood's first on-set fatal shooting in nearly 30 years, shocked the movie industry and sparked calls for an overhaul of firearms safety on movie productions.
Morrissey has said prosecutors had long known the actor would file a retaliatory civil lawsuit.
The Ukrainian-born cinematographer died when Baldwin pointed a pistol at her while rehearsing, cocked the weapon and possibly pulled the trigger as they set up a camera shot on a movie set near Santa Fe, his lawyers said.
The gun, a reproduction 1873 single-action army revolver, fired a live round inadvertently loaded by Hannah Gutierrez, the movie's weapons handler. Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Baldwin, also a "Rust" producer, has always said live rounds should not have been allowed on set and he was not responsible for weapons safety.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'Heartbroken' Ed Kelce suffering with 'enormous void' after death of his partner at age 74
Ed Kelce, the father of Travis and Jason Kelce, is reportedly 'heartbroken' over the loss of his partner, Maureen Maguire. Maureen died on Friday at the age of 74. According to her obituary, which was shared by the Kelce patriarch, she was surrounded by loved ones. And it has now been revealed that Ed, who divorced the NFL siblings' mom Donna over 10 years ago, has been left distraught at the loss. 'Maureen wasn't just his partner, she was his person. They were a team. They shared everything… games, concerts, travel, dogs, dinners with family. He's feeling an enormous void,' PEOPLE reported. Ed has remained publicly quiet on Maguire's passing. He did, however, share pictures from their time together, including a snap with Taylor Swift, the famous girlfriend of his youngest son Travis. The photo showed the three of them in Kansas City Chiefs merch, with the singer holding a card and what appears to be a friendship bracelet. Ed also shared a photograph with Maguire from Saturday Night Live in March 2023 in New York, when three-time Super Bowl winner Travis was the guest host. In an interview last year with the Los Angeles Times, Ed revealed how his girlfriend and Swift had struck up a bond. Maureen, according to Ed, jokingly told Swift 'hey, that's my boyfriend' when the singer took a selfie with Travis and Jason's father at an NFL game. Maureen's obituary describes how, thanks to Kelce's influence, she developed a strong interest in football in the later years of her life. 'She also grew an unexpected love for football later in life, sharing many laughs and adventures with her beloved friend Ed Kelce and her loyal dog Butch,' the obituary said. 'Together, they traveled often and attended football games and concerts, and embraced every opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.' It isn't known when Ed first met Maureen, or how. But Ed and Donna Kelce, the mother of Travis and Jason, went their separate ways after nearly 25 years of marriage around the time their sons were at college. They remain friends to this day, with Travis and Jason becoming two of the most famous names in the NFL. 'I don't hate him. We're friends to this day. We get along great,' Donna once said of her ex-husband Ed. 'We were like a tag team with you two (Travis and Jason). We got to do all sorts of fun things. When one of you had to go out of town, the other person would help with the other child. It was perfect.' In a 2023 documentary about the family, Ed explained that he and Donna stayed together to be better parents. 'If we had split as we probably both would have preferred, that would have been a nightmare with the logistics, getting kids where they had to be and providing all the support,' he said. Travis and Jason have not yet commented on Maguire's passing. Travis is currently in training camp with the Chiefs ahead of the upcoming 2025 season, which for his team starts on September 5 in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Kelce family saw their fame reach unprecedented levels in September 2023, when Travis and Taylor's romance was confirmed by Swift attending a Chiefs game alongside Donna at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘I can't get mad at anyone who tells me I'm a genius': original Naked Gun director softens response to reboot
David Zucker, who co-created the Police Squad! and Naked Gun franchises and directed the first two films starring Leslie Nielsen, has reacted to the warm critical reception and healthy box office takings of the reboot starring Liam Neeson. Zucker had previously expressed scepticism and even anger about the direction the new film appeared to be taking, and the decision by the studio not to include him in the process. But speaking to the Hollywood Reporter in the wake of strong ticket sales and robust reviews for the Akiva Schaffer reboot, Zucker appeared more conciliatory. 'People are liking it, which is great,' he said. 'I really like the director, and I just couldn't wish him more well. I texted him already, saying, 'I hear the reviews are great, and it's tracking well.' He was very happy to hear from me, and we'll probably get together later in the month when the smoke clears.' He continued: 'I'm excited about it because it just shows that there's a strong market for comedy in movie theatres, and spoof in particular.' Last year, the director was less enthusiastic, saying of the reboot: 'Paramount is just going ahead and doing it, they haven't involved me. They're just gonna do what they want, that's Hollywood.' Zucker and the franchise's other co-creators, including his brother Jerry Zucker, had previously pitched a fourth-instalment script focusing on the thirtysomething son of the main character Frank Drebin, but it was rejected by the studio. 'We were not excited about having the franchise given to other people,' he continued. 'They have not contacted me to make a cameo or be involved in the writing. Whether or not they're going to do a good job with it, this kind of spoof, I mean it's not rocket science, but it's not easy.' Earlier this year, Zucker reiterated his disapproval, saying he was 'not planning on seeing the Naked Gun remake'. 'I regret having seen the trailer for it,' he continued, before comparing the promo to a 2007 Brazilian pornographic film. 'It's like watching 2 Girls 1 Cup. I can't unsee it.' Despite his turnaround, Zucker reiterated his aversion to seeing the film to Hollywood Reporter, but said that the team behind it had reached out to him before its release. 'I'm not gonna see it, but I don't see any of the sequels that were of my material done by other people, and that's fine. I've told Akiva that I have no intention to see it,' he said. 'He actually invited me to come see an early cut of it, but I told him there's nothing I could do to help because it really isn't what I would have done. That's not to say that he didn't actually end up doing a good movie. But I don't think I could help with that.' Zucker added that producer Seth MacFarlane had phoned him shortly after the new script had been completed. 'He spent the first 10 minutes telling me how much he loved Airplane!, The Naked Gun and Top Secret!,' said Zucker. 'I can't get mad at anyone who will tell me what a genius I am. That was a good conversation. I was glad that Seth called, but I told him politely, 'Good luck, but I can't put my name on this.' [But] everything happens for a reason.' The new Naked Gun film stars Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr, alongside Pamela Anderson and Danny Huston. In his four-star review, the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw praised it as 'amiably ridiculous, refreshingly shallow, entirely pointless and guilelessly crass'.
Sky News
38 minutes ago
- Sky News
Byron Black to be first man executed with working defibrillator fitted - despite claims he could suffer
A triple-killer is set to be the first man executed with a working defibrillator in his chest when he's put to death in Tennessee today. Byron Black's bid to delay the execution was denied on Monday, and he will now be killed by lethal injection. There is uncertainty over whether the device will shock his heart, potentially prolonging his death and causing suffering when the deadly cocktail takes effect. The 69-year-old is in a wheelchair and is said to have dementia, kidney failure, brain damage and congestive heart failure. His cardioverter-defibrillator is a battery-powered device that delivers electric shocks to restore a regular heartbeat if needed. Black's lawyers said a doctor should put a device over the implant to ensure it's switched off, and in July, a judge agreed it was necessary to avert the chance of unnecessary pain. But the state Supreme Court said last week the judge lacked authority to order the defibrillator to be deactivated. Lawyers representing Tennessee have argued that the lethal injection will not cause the device to shock Black and that he would not feel it even if it did. However, his lawyer, Kelley Henry, said the execution could become a "grotesque spectacle" and Black could still be in pain even if he looks unresponsive. Black shot dead his girlfriend Angela Clay and her two daughters - aged six and nine - in a jealous rage in 1988. He committed the murders while on work release for shooting Clay's estranged husband. Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told local station WKRN-TV: "He didn't have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?" Black's lawyers have also unsuccessfully tried in recent years to save him from execution by arguing he's intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under US Supreme Court precedent. Twenty-seven men have been executed in the US so far this year - the highest since the 28 killed in 2015. However, nine others are scheduled before the end of 2025.
