Alec Baldwin Thought He Was Untouchable for 'Rust' Shooting - Judge Gives Him Rude Awakening
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Mamie Mitchell, the script supervisor on the movie “Rust,” could proceed with her lawsuit against Alec Baldwin after he fatally shot the film’s cinematographer in October 2021.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Mitchell can pursue her allegations of assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence against Baldwin for firing a prop weapon and fatally wounding cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker ruled.
In his ruling, Whitaker noted, “For pleading purposes, the Court finds the second amended complaint alleges facts sufficient to establish despicable conduct carried out by [the defendants] with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.”
Mitchell and her team had previous claims against Baldwin, which were dismissed by Whitaker in September. But now they are celebrating this recent ruling.
Mitchell’s attorney, Gloria Allred, said in a statement, “We are pleased that the trial court’s tentative ruling has overruled Mr. Baldwin’s demurrer and permitted our client, Mamie Mitchell, to continue her lawsuit against Alec Baldwin to recover damages for the personal injuries she sustained.”
Baldwin fatally shot Hutchinson on the set of “Rust” on Oct. 21, 2021. Since then, Baldwin has attempted to absolve himself of any blame for the deadly incident.
In March, he submitted legal documents that claimed he bore no responsibility for the deadly shooting and even tried to shift some of the blame onto Hutchins.
In August, he made a bizarre comment during an interview with CNN that seemed to suggest that former President Donald Trump and others who questioned his innocence were guilty — rather than himself.
Balwin has also claimed that he did not pull the trigger that killed Hutchins.
In an interview with Chris Cuomo on News Nation, Baldwin used the concept of “fanning” the gun as an explanation for how the gun discharged without him having his finger on the trigger.
Yet despite Baldwin’s many protestations, the evidence overwhelmingly points to negligence on the part of the film crew and on the part of Baldwin himself.
In April, the Associated Press reported that New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau slapped Rust Movie Productions with the maximum possible fine of nearly $137,000 for firearms safety failures.
In August, USA Today reported that the FBI forensic investigation concluded that Baldwin had been pointing the gun at Hutchins at the time of the shooting and that the gun could not have been fired “without a pull of the trigger.”
In addition, footage from the scene appears to show that Baldwin did indeed have his finger on the trigger at the time of the shooting.
Despite all the negative press that has resulted from the shooting, “Rust” is scheduled to resume filming in January of next year, with Hutchins’s husband, Matthew, working as the executive producer, and the original director, Joel Souza, returning to his role.
Baldwin has acted as though he is invincible through his repeated gaslighting and claims that he had no role in the shooting, despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary.
Yet this latest ruling will put him on high alert, as it shows that neither the authorities nor those involved in the filming of “Rust” believe his ludicrous claims.
What final consequences Baldwin will face remain to be seen, but this latest ruling is making it increasingly clear that he can no longer hide from the responsibility he bears for this tragic shooting.
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