Alec Baldwin shooting: ‘Rust’ crew member files lawsuit
LOS ANGELES – The chief lighting technician for “Rust” filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the movie’s producers, actor Alec Baldwin and other members of the crew, accusing them of failing to follow safety protocols that would have prevented the fatal shooting of the film’s cinematographer.
Serge Svetnoy, 63, the gaffer on the set, is the first crew member to take legal action against Rust Movie Productions LLC for the Oct. 21 incident that caused the death of Halyna Hutchins and the wounding of director Joel Souza, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The general negligence lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The complaint names the film’s producers, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, first assistant director Dave Halls, property master Sarah Zachry and weapons provider Seth Kenney as defendants, according to the newspaper. The suit was filed in Los Angeles because Svetnoy and at least one of the producers live in L.A.
The lawsuit described the chain of possession of people who handled the Colt .45 revolver and accused each person of failing to properly check the gun, the New York Times reported. According to the lawsuit, Zachry, the film’s prop master, handed the gun to Gutierrez Reed, who loaded it. Then, the lawsuit stated, Halls “failed to thoroughly and properly inspect it” before declaring it safe to handle.
Svetnoy said he was standing 6 or 7 feet away from Baldwin on the set of the film at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico as the crew prepared for a scene, The New York Times reported. Baldwin’s character drew the revolver from his shoulder holster and pointed it in the “general direction” of the camera, according to court documents.
According to the lawsuit, when the gun was discharged, it was the “loudest gunshot that he has ever experienced on a movie set.”
“He felt a strange and terrifying whoosh of what felt like pressurized air from his right,” the lawsuit alleges. “He felt what he believed was gunpowder and other residual materials from the gun directly strike the right side of his face and scratch the lenses of the eyeglasses he was wearing.”
Svetnoy and Hutchins had been friends for more than five years and had worked together on nine film productions, the Los Angeles Times reported. Both were from Ukraine and spent holidays together with their families, the newspaper reported. Svetnoy had given Hutchins the Ukrainian nickname “Galla.”
“I still cannot believe that she is not longer with us,” Svetnoy said Wednesday afternoon during a news conference at his attorney’s office in Beverly Hills, California. “What a tragedy and injustice when a person loses her life on film set while making art.”
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s detectives are still investigating key details of the shooting, the Los Angeles Times reported. They are also trying to determine who brought live ammunition onto the movie set, which is a violation of film production safety protocols, and who loaded at least one live bullet into the revolver used by Baldwin.
According to the lawsuit, Svetnoy held Hutchins and tried to keep her calm, Variety reported.
“As he held her, he noticed that the hand placed behind her back was becoming wet with her blood,” the lawsuit states.
The key medic, Cherlyn Schaefer, arrived within minutes, and she and Svetnoy rolled Hutchins over to inspect her wound, according to Variety. An entry wound was found near Hutchins’ right armpit.
“The next 20-30 minutes felt like the longest of plaintiff’s life as he tried to aid and comfort Ms. Hutchins, watching helplessly as her consciousness faded inexorably away,” the lawsuit states.
A lawyer for Baldwin did not immediately comment on the suit, The New York Times reported.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys, Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence, had previously issued a statement that said safety was their client’s No. 1 priority on set, adding that she had no idaa where the live rounds came from, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Hannah was hired for two positions on this film, which made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer,” the statement read. “She fought for training, days to maintain weapons and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department.”
Zachry and a lawyer for Halls, Lisa Torraco, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to The New York Times. Torraco said in a television interview that checking the gun was not Halls’ job.
Here are some memorable photos of actor Alec Baldwin through the years.
1985: Author Gore Vidal poses with actors that will appear in the NBC-TV miniseries "Dress Gray" on Dec. 16, 1985. Actor Alec Baldwin is at left.
1988: Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, right, react in horror when they first encounter the demonic Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) in the supernatural comedy "Beetlejuice," 1988.
1990: Actor Alec Baldwin, left, is shown during rehearsals at NBC’s "Saturday Night Live," with musical guests the B-52s, Keith Strickland, second from left, Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider, partially obscured, in New York on April 19, 1990.
1991: Composer John Barry stands between presenters Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin as he holds his Oscar for best original score for the film "Dances With Wolves" backstage at the 63rd annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 25, 1991.
1992: Actors Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin appear at a special industry screening of "Final Analysis," in which she stars, in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 1992.
1993: Actress Julie Harris, right, poses with actor Alec Baldwin, center, and actress Joan Van Ark at the gala benefit for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, Sunday evening, Feb. 7, 1993.
1994: Actress Kim Basinger is shown in a June 26, 1994, photo with her husband, actor Alec Baldwin.
1995: Actor Alec Baldwin arrives for the 1995 Tony Awards at Broadway’s Minskoff Theater in New York on June 4, 1995.
1996: Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin star in "Looking for Richard."
1998: Married American actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger sit at a table during the Golden Globe Awards ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California, on January 18, 1998.
1999: American actor Alec Baldwin and wife Kim Basinger.
2000: Actor Alec Baldwin and wife Kim Basinger arrive for the world premiere of "I Dreamed of Africa" on April 18, 2000, at Sony Theatres Lincoln Square in New York City.
2001: Actor Alec Baldwin arrives at the world premiere of Disney’s "Pearl Harbor" on May 21, 2001, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
2002: Actor Alec Baldwin speaks to delegates having dinner at the Florida Democratic Party State Conference on April 13, 2002, in Lake Buena Vista, near Orlando, Florida.
2004: Best supporting actor winner Alec Baldwin attends the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures 2003 annual Awards Gala at Tavern on the Green January 13, 2004, in New York City.
2004: Alec Baldwin and his date attend the American Theater Wing luncheon honoring Isabelle Stevenson at the Pierre Hotel on April 19, 2004, in New York City.
2005: Actor Alec Baldwin and daughter Ireland Eliesse Baldwin arrive at PETA’s 15th Anniversary Gala and Humanitarian Awards at Paramount Studios on September 10, 2005, in Hollywood, California.
2006: Actor Alec Baldwin speaks during a segment of "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" at CBS Television Studios on November 3, 2006, in Los Angeles.
2007: The cast of "30 Rock" poses in the pressroom with their Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series during the 59th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on September 16, 2007, in Los Angeles.
2008: Actors Tina Fey (left) and Alec Baldwin pose in the press room with their Emmys for Best Actor for "30 Rock" during the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on September 21, 2008, in Los Angeles.
2009: Actor Alec Baldwin (left) and his daughter, Ireland, pose with his award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for "30 Rock" in the press room at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009, in Los Angeles.
2010: Co-hosts Steve Martin (left) and Alec Baldwin onstage during the 82nd annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on March 7, 2010, in Hollywood, California.
2011: Hilaria Thomas (left) and Alec Baldwin attend Tony Bennett’s 85th Birthday Gala Benefit for Exploring the Arts at the Metropolitan Opera House on September 18, 2011, in New York City.
2012: Alec Baldwin (left) and Hilaria Thomas attend the 2012 Ripple of Hope Gala at the New York Marriott Marquis on December 3, 2012, in New York City.
2013: Actor Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria Thomas arrive at the 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on January 27, 2013, in Los Angeles.
2014: Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 13th annual An Enduring Vision Benefit at Cipriani Wall Street on October 28, 2014, in New York City.
2015: Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas attend OCRF’s 18th annual Super Saturday NY Hosted by Donna Karan and Kelly Ripa on July 25, 2015, in Water Mill City.
2016: Alec Baldwin as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Kate McKinnon as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the "Debate Cold Open" sketch on "Saturday Night Live" on October 1, 2016.
2017: Alec Baldwin speaks onstage during the We Stand United NYC Rally outside Trump International Hotel & Tower on January 19, 2017, in New York City.
2018: Board of Directors Co-Chair Alec Baldwin, Hilaria Baldwin and their children attend the red carpet and chairman’s reception at Suna Residence during the Hamptons International Film Festival 2018 on October 6, 2018, in East Hampton, New York.
2019: Ireland Baldwin and Alec Baldwin attend the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin at Saban Theatre on September 7, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California.
2020: Alec Baldwin, Hilaria Baldwin and Carmen Baldwin pose backstage at the Badgley Mischka show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on February 8, 2020, in New York City.
2021: Alec Baldwin, Hilaria Baldwin and their kids attend as DreamWorks Animation presents "The Boss Baby: Family Business" world premiere at SVA Theatre on June 22, 2021, in New York City.
