SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Actor Alec Baldwin has filed a civil lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “The Last.”
The case was filed Thursday in state district court in Santa Fe, where a judge in July dismissed manslaughter charges against Baldwin in the death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins.
Baldwin also claimed defamation in the lawsuit, saying prosecutors and investigators intentionally mishandled evidence as they pursued the case.
Defendants in the lawsuit include Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweese, as well as three investigators from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and county commission.
“At every turn, Defendants sought to use Baldwin as a scapegoat for the acts and omissions of others, regardless of the evidence or the law,” the complaint states. It also says prosecutors and investigators targeted Baldwin for professional or political gain.
Hutchins was injured in October 2021 while rehearsing for the movie “The Last” at a ranch on a movie set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, and died shortly after.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer, pointed a gun at Hutchins and fired, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin said he pulled back the hammer, not the trigger, and the revolver fired.
Baldwin's trial was upended by the revelation in March that the ammunition was brought to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office by a man who claimed it could be connected to Hutchins' murder. Prosecutors said they determined the ammunition was irrelevant and unimportant, but Baldwin's attorney said investigators filed a successful motion to dismiss the case by “burying” the evidence in a separate case folder. Ta.
Morrissey said he learned Baldwin was considering a lawsuit more than a year ago.
“In October 2023, the prosecution team became aware that Mr. Baldwin intended to file a civil retaliation lawsuit,” she told The Associated Press in a text message Thursday. “I look forward to my day in court.”
Carmack-Altweese and the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office did not respond to requests for comment. Baldwin's lawsuit argues that prosecutors should not be afforded immunity in their official roles.
The state attorney general declined to pursue and appeal the removal on behalf of prosecutors, and the case was closed in December.
Separately, the shooting led to a manslaughter conviction for film Weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reid in a trial last year. She is serving a sentence of up to a year and a half in state prison.
Baldwin's tort claims also take aim at the special prosecutor who originally oversaw the investigation, and seek unspecified punitive damages, compensatory damages, attorney's fees and interest.
This has led to a thicket of post-trial litigation, even though Baldwin has returned to comic roles on “Saturday Night Live” and is moving forward with plans for a family reality show with his wife, Hilaria, and their seven children. further deepening.
Hutchins' parents and sister sued Baldwin and other producers of “Lust” in New Mexico state court. A lawsuit brought by Hutchins' widow and son was settled.
