Alec Baldwin had ‘duty to double check’ gun, says electrician suing Rust star over Halyna Hutchins death
The actor and members of the crew and production team on Rust are being sued by Svetnoy for ‘severe emotional distress’ after the tragic incident
Alec Baldwin had a ‘duty to double check’ the gun that caused the death of Halyna Hutchins, according to a new lawsuit filed by chief electrician Serge Svetnoy, who held the cinematographer as she died.
The actor and members of the crew and production team on Rust are being sued by Svetnoy for ‘severe emotional distress’ after the tragic incident.
Svetnoy had been inside the church set when Hutchins, 42, was accidentally shot by Baldwin, and had cradled his dying friend for over 20 mins until the ambulance arrived.
The electrician, who had been standing just feet away from Baldwin when the prop gun fired, was also hit with bullet fragments.
His lawsuit is the first one filed since the tragedy took place on October 21, with the filing alleging that as the scene was a rehearsal, Baldwin did not need to pull the trigger.
Svetnoy told Sky News: ‘I did not expect it, nobody expected it.’
The court documents add: ‘This duty called for Defendant Baldwin to double-check the Colt Revolver upon being handled to ensure that it did not contain live ammunition.’
Svetnoy, who was from the Ukraine like Hutchins, made a general-negligence complaint naming the producers including Baldwin, armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and others.
His lawyer Gary Dordick added: ‘When you have millionaire and multimillionaire producers putting their money and their profits before safety and human life, that must be punished, that must be stopped.
‘Alec Baldwin was sued for punitive damages because when a gun, a real gun, was given to him on the set, he assumed it was safe.
‘He took a gun, loaded with a bullet, pointed it at human being and pulled the trigger and shot the bullet that killed people.’
An investigation into the circumstances that led to the tragedy are ongoing, with lawyers for armourer Gutierrez-Reid alleging that someone may have sabotaged the blanks.
They said in a statement: ‘We eagerly await the FBI’s investigation of all the facts including the live rounds themselves, how they ended up in the “dummies box” and who put them there.
‘We are convinced that this was sabotage and Hannah is being framed. We believe that the scene was tampered with as well before the police arrived.’
In a statement, the producers of Rust said: ‘The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company.
‘Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down.
‘We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.’