Three cast members of “Rust” have filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and the other producers, claiming they have PTSD due to the on-set murder of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Dolly operator Ross Addiego, set costumer Doran Curtin, and critical grip Reese Price claim they were inside the church structure on Bonanza Creek Ranch on October 21, 2021, when Baldwin’s pistol fired a real bullet, striking Hutchins and director Joel Souza, in a civil lawsuit filed in New Mexico on Monday, According to Variety.
All three contend that the loud shot caused them to get “blast injuries,” but according to Curtin, Hutchins, 42, collapsed on the ground in front of her. According to the lawsuit, “Plaintiff Curtin put her hands on Hutchins’ tummy to identify the cause of Hutchins’ discomfort and determine what was going on.”
Plaintiff Curtin has led out of the church as the mayhem persisted. She passed unconsciously once she was outside due to the blast and the shock of the shooting. Hutchins was transported by air to a hospital, but he was subsequently declared dead.
The plaintiffs claim that in the months after the shooting, they were left without the means to deal with their problems, which include “insomnia, anxiety, despair, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The lawsuit holds Alec Baldwin and his other producers accountable for the shooting because they allegedly used sloppy hiring practices to fill critical positions on the low-budget Western, including armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed.
The filing also claims that the 64-year-old “30 Rock” actor carelessly neglected to pay attention during weapons instruction and check that the gun was not loaded before firing a round.
The Monday complaint is the most recent in a string of legal measures brought against Baldwin, who earlier this month entered a not-guilty plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter related to Hutchins’ passing.
Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed, both 25, may spend up to 18 months in jail if found guilty of the accusations brought against them. Baldwin reportedly faces additional civil lawsuits from cast and crew members of “Rust,” including a script supervisor, a set medic, and a gaffer.
According to NBC, Baldwin’s attorneys requested a halt to a civil lawsuit brought by script editor Mamie Mitchell last week, citing Baldwin’s Fifth Amendment right to refrain from retaliation.
