Alec Baldwin Said ‘Rust’ Contract Prevents Him From Being Held Financially Responsible For Shooting Death

Topline

In a legal filing Friday, a lawyer for Alec Baldwin said the actor’s contract for the movie Rust prevents him from being financially responsible for the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last year and continued to deny he was in any way responsible for her loss of life.

Key Facts

In the demand for arbitration, which was filed against Baldwin’s fellow producers on the movie and obtained by Forbes, Baldwin’s lawyer argued that a clause in his contract for the project voids him of being held financially responsible for Hutchins’ death and was seeking compensation for his legal fees.

Baldwin’s lawyer wrote that “someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy” but Baldwin is not.

The filing repeated previous claims made by Baldwin that he did not pull the gun’s trigger and that he positioned the weapon at Hutchins’ request, saying “in giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was ‘cold’ and contained no live rounds.”

Baldwin said he was told by the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, that “it was her job to check the gun—not his.”

In his job as a producer, Baldwin only had purview over creative decisions, and gave $100,000 of his $250,000 salary back to the film as an “investment,” according to the filing, counteracting a claim made by Hutchins’ widower Matthew in a wrongful death suit against Baldwin and others that they were responsible for his wife’s death through their “reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures.”

The filing also included text messages purportedly between Matthew Hutchins and Baldwin that portray a somewhat positive relationship between the two.

Crucial Quote

“Hutchins’s legacy cannot properly be recognized when the circumstances of her death are obscured by false allegations—finger pointing by various parties that diverts attention from the most important questions in this case: how did live ammunition get on the set of Rust, who put the live bullet in the gun, and why did the experts who were hired to check the gun fail to detect the bullet?” the arbitration read. “The facts make clear that Baldwin is not culpable for these events or failures.”

Key Background

Criminal charges have yet to be filed in relation to the October shooting that also left Rust director Joel Souza injured. In addition to the wrongful death suit, Baldwin has also been sued over the shooting by two crew members who worked on the production. Last month, Matthew Hutchins gave his first interview since his wife was killed, and said that it bothered him that Baldwin did “not accept any responsibility.” “The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me,” he said. “And hearing him blame Halyna… and shift responsibility to others and seeing him cry about it, I just feel like, ‘Are we really supposed to feel bad about you, Mr. Baldwin?’”

Further Reading

Alec Baldwin Sued By Victim’s Family For Wrongful Death Over ‘Rust’ Shooting (Forbes)

Alec Baldwin, ‘Rust’ Producers Sued For Negligence Over Shooting (Forbes)

‘Rust’ Script Supervisor Claims Baldwin Firing A Gun Was Not In Script For Scene That Led To Fatal Shooting (Forbes)