The Ukrainian parents and sister of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Alec Baldwin and the producers of “Rust” in connection with her death in October 2021.
Attorney Gloria Allred announced the lawsuit at a press conference at her office on Thursday morning.
Baldwin is also facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter in Santa Fe, N.M. He is due to appear in court remotely to answer that charge on Feb. 24.
Baldwin fired the shot that killed Hutchins while preparing for a scene on the Western film. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer who loaded Baldwin’s Colt .45, also faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Each has denied culpability in Hutchins’ death, and pointed to mistakes made by others that allowed a live round to be introduced to the set, in violation of industry safety standards.
Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, filed his own wrongful death lawsuit a year ago on behalf of himself, his wife’s estate, and the couple’s son. That lawsuit is in the process of being settled, and Matthew Hutchins has signed on as an executive producer of the film, which is due to resume production in the next few weeks.
“I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” Matthew Hutchins said in a statement in October. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident.”
At the press conference, Allred said that Hutchins’ Ukrainian family supports Matthew and is not second-guessing his decision to settle.
“The settlement was for Matthew and his child, and we are now representing others in the family — Mom, Dad and sister — and there has been no settlement for them,” she said.
Allred also represents Mamie Mitchell, the script supervisor who called 911 after the shooting. Mitchell was inside the church building at the Bonanza Creek Ranch when Hutchins and the film’s director, Joel Souza, were shot. She has sued for emotional distress and pain in her ears and head.