The family of Galina Hutchins sued Alec Baldwin: he is called responsible for the death of a woman

On February 15, the family of slain Rust cameraman Galina Hutchins filed a wrongful death lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and other film producers, blaming cost-cutting measures as the cause of the tragedy and blaming reckless behavior on Baldwin and others. Los Angeles Times.

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Hutchins, 42, was fatally shot on October 21 when Baldwin pulled a revolver from its holster and fired it at Hutchins and other members of the film crew during a rehearsal for the film, which was set near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The bullet also hit director Joel Souza, who survived.

The lawsuit alleged that Baldwin and the other producers of the low-budget film sacrificed the safety of crew members by hiring inexperienced members and ignoring safety concerns raised earlier by the crew's cameramen.

The lawsuit placed much of the blame on Baldwin, who, according to the lawsuit, pulled out a revolver during a rehearsal and started shooting just five feet from Hutchins and the other members of the band.

“There are many perpetrators, but it was Mr. Baldwin who held the gun,” Los Angeles family lawyer Brian Panish said at a press conference.

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The lawsuit is the latest in a string of lawsuits against producers sparked by the New Mexico shooting that rocked Hollywood and renewed calls for tighter gun safety on movie sets.

Panish and Albuquerque attorney Randy McGinn filed a lawsuit in New Mexico 1st District Court on behalf of Hutchins' 39-year-old husband Matthew, an attorney in the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins, and their 9-year-old son Andros.

Defendants include Rust Movie Productions LLC, Baldwin, 3rd Shift Media, Thomasville Pictures and other individual producers. The lawsuit also lists first assistant director David Hall, gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed, prop maker Sarah Zakry, and weapons supplier Seth Kenny of PDQ Arm & Prop.

“Defendant Baldwin and the other defendants in this case did not complete standard security checks and did not follow basic safety rules when using real guns to make a movie. Rust’, the lawsuit says on Feb. 15.

The lawsuit is the most high-profile lawsuit to date against the producers, who were also sued by crew members, including script supervisor Mamie Mitchell and on-set medic Cherlyn Schaefer, who struggled to save Hutchins as she lay dying on the wooden church floor boards.

“The hearts and thoughts of everyone remain with the Galina family as they continue to experience this unspeakable tragedy. We are continuing to work with authorities to determine how live ammunition made it onto the set in the first place. Rust , Aaron Dyer, Los Angeles attorney for Baldwin and other producers said in a statement. Rust .

“Any allegation that Alec was reckless is absolutely false,” Dyer said. “He, Galina and the rest of the crew relied on the statement of the two specialists responsible for checking the gun that it was a “cold gun” - that is, there was no possibility of a shot, blank or otherwise. This protocol has worked on thousands of films with millions of shots fired, as there has never been an incident on set where a real bullet hurt anyone. Actors should be able to rely on gunsmiths and props department professionals, as well as assistant directors, rather than deciding for themselves when it is safe to use a weapon.”

In a statement, Kenny confirmed that his company did not supply Rust live ammunition and that he did not visit the set on the day of the shooting. He said that the responsibility for handling firearms and ammunition lay with Gutierrez Reid and that she had not followed the work instructions.

“We are confident that at the conclusion of the investigation, Kenny and PDQ will be fully absolved of any responsibility for the tragedy,” the statement said. “As far as Mr. Kenny and PDQ are concerned, today’s unsuccessful lawsuit has no merit.”

The suit comes amid an ongoing criminal investigation into the incident by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, which has focused on the actions of Gutierrez Reid, Halls and Baldwin. Investigators tried to establish how the live bullet ended up on the set Rust.

According to law enforcement documents, during a rehearsal, Halls handed Baldwin a replica of an antique .45 Colt pistol, describing it as "cold," meaning there was no ammunition inside. However, the pistol contained dummies and at least one lead bullet. The Hutchins' lawsuit alleged that Halls was not authorized to handle a gun.

According to an affidavit released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, Gutierrez Reid loaded the gun that day. But she told sheriff's detectives that she didn't know that the new box of bullets delivered to the set that day contained real bullets. The lawsuit alleges that Gutierrez Reed and Kenny acted "carelessly, recklessly and recklessly" in allowing live ammunition to be used on set and not properly inspecting weapons and ammunition.

Panish of Los Angeles firm Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi said authorities found other live rounds on the set.

The 24-year-old gunsmith told detectives that she checked Baldwin's gun that day before an unscheduled rehearsal, although she "didn't really check too hard" because the gun was locked in a safe during lunch break. Gutierrez Reed also said she was too tired working as a props and weapons specialist.

"Defendant Baldwin and the other producers were aware that Defendant Gutierrez Reed was unqualified and ignored Defendant Gutierrez Reid's concerns that playing the dual role of gunsmith and props assistant would result in lapses in basic firearm safety," the lawsuit states.

During a Feb. 15 press conference in downtown Los Angeles, Panish's firm showed a nearly 10-minute animated video reenacting the ranch church shooting. Panish said the report was based on information from witnesses and weapons experts.

The lawsuit does not list damages, but Panish said he expects them to be "substantial".

Matt Hutchins "lost his wife, who was the love of his life, and his son lost his mother," Panish said. “Anyone who has ever been close to experiencing this knows that it goes on forever.”

Originally from Ukraine, Hutchins was killed just as her career was taking off in a male-dominated field.

Hutchins graduated from the American Film Institute Conservatory in 2015 and was one of the rising stars of American cinema in 2019. Her name became famous after a number of indie films, including The Archenemy and The Mad Hatter.

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Before getting into feature films, she worked as a journalist on British documentaries.

Her death highlighted the harsh working conditions, including long hours, that many film crews face on set.

On the day of the shooting, crew members walked off the set to protest the working conditions and the lack of safety protocols, including accidental gunshots. It is said that instead of investigating the concerns raised by the crew, the producers seemed to be more concerned about keeping up with the day's filming schedule.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• American actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed one person and injured another on the set of the film in Albuquerque. The deceased, 42-year-old photographer and cameraman Galina Hutchins, was Ukrainian.
• On October 21, on the set of the film, Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the cameraman and wounded the director. The Ukrainian woman was killed. Sources of claim that she could have filmed her own death.
• Court records show that weapons were readily available gunsmith and film assistant director.
• Sources claim that on the set was in complete chaos with weapons.
• The police are checking information on Alec's phone Baldwin.
• The head of the lighting team on the set of the western "Rust" (Rust) Sergey Svetnoy filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles (California) because of the shooting on the set.
• Alec Baldwin gave an interview for the first time since the death of cameraman Galina Hutchins. The actor stated that he did not pull the trigger of the revolver.
• Read the stories of the worst tragedies and accidents that occurred directly on the set in our material.

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