Judge throws out Alec Baldwin 'Rust' movie shooting lawsuit against prosecutors
A New Mexico judge has thrown out a misconduct lawsuit filed by Alec Baldwin against local prosecutors and sheriff's officials over their pursuit of criminal charges against him for the fatal 2021 shooting on the set of the Western movie "Rust."
Judge Casey Fitch dismissed Baldwin's complaint on Tuesday, July 29, for lack of "significant action" in the case over the past 180 days. The one-page order allows any party in the lawsuit to seek reinstatement within 30 days.
In a statement on July 29, Baldwin's lawyer Luke Nikas told Reuters that settlement discussions were underway and the case could be refiled if they were unsuccessful.
Will Smith, Johnny Depp and Alec Baldwin hope for comebacks. Can they succeed?
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.
In the lawsuit, the "Boss Baby" actor claimed prosecutors and others had conspired to manufacture a criminal case against him for political and personal gain. Baldwin was charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The case was dismissed in 2024 after a 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. Morrissey later said that prosecutors had long known the actor would file a retaliatory civil lawsuit.
Alec Baldwin vows to 'expose what really happened' in 'Rust' shooting case: 'More to come'
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 film productions.
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 production'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.
Contributing: Steve Gorman, Donna Bryson, REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine's drone attack injures one, sets homes on fire in Voronezh, Russia says
(Reuters) -A woman sustained a leg injury from Ukraine's overnight drone attack on Voronezh that also resulted in several homes and utility buildings catching fire from falling drone debris, the governor of the southern Russian region said on Sunday. Air defence units destroyed about 15 Ukrainian drones over the region, the governor of Voronezh, Alexander Gusev, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "The threat of further drone attacks remains," Gusev said in the post early on Sunday. Reuters could not independently verify Gusev's report. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strike in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv says that its attacks inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's war efforts and are in response to Russia's relentless strikes on Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry said that its units destroyed 41 drones just before midnight on Saturday over Russian regions bordering Ukraine and over the waters of the Black Sea.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hilaria Baldwin Responds After Followers Ask If She and Alec Baldwin Are Expecting Baby No. 8
The couple received many comments on a video yesterday asking if the couple was expecting againNEED TO KNOW Hilaria Baldwin is responding after followers suggested she and husband Alec Baldwin are expecting again The couple could be seen making fun of their first video on Instagram in a new clip Hilaria and Alec are already parents to seven kids togetherHilaria Baldwin is responding after her followers asked if she and her husband Alec Baldwin are expecting another baby together. On Thursday, July 31, the yoga pro, 41, shared a video on her Instagram dancing around her husband. Throughout the clip, Hilaria could be seen standing on top of the chair and giving the 30 Rock actor her feet. "Foot rub time…makes sense to me 🤗," she wrote in the caption. A day later, on Friday, Aug. 1, Hilaria shared another video to her Instagram in direct response to a fan who commented, "Here comes baby #8!" This time in the video, Alec danced around Hilaria and gave her his feet. "Will this get @alecbaldwininsta pregnant??" she wrote in the caption. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Hilaria also shared the post on her Instagram Stories and wrote, "Reading the comments on the one I did yesterday, seems like ppl say this is the way to get pregnant..." Alec and Hilaria are parents to sons Eduardo "Edu" Pao Lucas, 4, Romeo Alejandro David, 6, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 8, and Rafael Thomas, 9, and daughters Ilaria Catalina Irena, 2, María Lucía, 4, and Carmen Gabriela, 11. Alec shares daughter Ireland, 29, with ex-wife Kim Basinger. Back in June, Hilaria shared a series of photos on her Instagram of her kids as they posed on both the first and last days of school. In the side-by-side snaps, several of Hilaria's kids held up signs that read which grade they were first going into and then later leaving. Hilaria's daughter Carmen could be seen holding a sign for sixth grade, while son Rafael held one for fourth. Leonardo left second grade and Romeo first, while Eduardo and Marilú left pre-K 3. Hilaria also jokingly made a sign for her youngest, Ilaria, as she finished up the "last day of Boss Baby Academy." The group of siblings also posed together in a final snap. "They've grown 🤍🩵💙💛💚💜💖 first and last day of this school year!" Hilaria sweetly wrote in her caption. In May, the proud mom shared a Reel on her Instagram of her Mother's Day celebration with her family of nine, which included cards, flowers and gifts from her kids. In her caption, Hilaria revealed what her favorite part of the special day is. "Happy Mother's Day to all 🌸🩷! Sending so much love. I think one of my favorite parts of Mother's Day is watching them try to be secretive while they make cards for me," she wrote in her caption. "They are so excited and their energy of trying to surprise me melts my heart 💙 #mothersday." Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
UPI
3 hours ago
- UPI
Ukraine's 2 anti-corruption agencies detain 4 in drone, weapons scheme
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Saturday that four Ukrainians have been detained in an investigation of "large-scale" corruption by the nation's two anti-corruption agencies. File Photo by Ole Berg/EPA Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Four Ukrainians have been detained in an investigation of "large-scale" governmental corruption, the nation's two anti-corruption agencies said Saturday. A member of parliament, two current and former officials, and a member of the National Guard military were involved, according to the nation's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. They allegedly were involved in a plot to take funds appropriated for drones and electronic warfare in 2024 and 2025, NABU posted on Telegram. They also acquired and distributed "unlawful benefits on an especially large scale," the agency said. On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law passed unanimously by the parliament that restores the independence of the two agencies. One week earlier, the parliament had passed the law and Zelensky signed it that essentially ends their independence. The former law sparked large protests and international rebuke, the Kyiv Independent reported. In his daily video address, he said the schemes were "absolutely immoral." Today I received a report from the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk. I am grateful for our special long-range operations on Russian territory. Each of them is tangible for the enemy, and our operations will continue - Russia is dragging out the war, so it... Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 2, 2025 "I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for their work," Zelensky posted on X. "There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork in uncovering it, and ultimately, a fair sentence. It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law passed on Thursday guarantees them all the tools necessary for a real fight against corruption." NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and Head of the SAPO Oleksandr Klymenko delivered a report. A Ukrainian MP, along with heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard servicemembers, were exposed for bribery. I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for... Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 2, 2025 Detained were Oleksii Kuznetsov, a member of Zelensky's Servant of the People party; Serhii Haidai, a former Luhansk governor; Andrii Yurchenko, head of Luhansk Oblast's Rubizhne district and the guard member. Kuznetsov will be dismissed from the Servant of the People in the parliament during the investigation, party leader David Arakhimia said. In one scheme, they are accused of inflating a state contract for the purchase of electronic warfare with officials receiving a kickback of 30% of the conteact in exchange for inflating the price. They were also involved in a similar way in state contracts for drones. A military unit signed a $239,000 contract with a producer with an overpaymernt of $80,000, the agencies said. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced the National Guard was implementing "systemic safeguards" to prevent power abuse. "We are building a system in which honest service is protected, and there will be inevitable responsibility for violations," Klymenko posted on Telegram. Ukraine has been purchasing drones and weapons from other nations since Russia invaded the nation in February 2022.
