Alec Baldwin stands accused of the involuntary manslaughter of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (top right) on the set of “Rust” (bottom right).
Actor Alec Baldwin never apologized to the parents and sister of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins over her shooting death on the set of “Rust,” their lawyers claim.
“As a matter of fact, there has been no outreach to them by Mr. Baldwin to even say he was sorry,” asserted their famed attorney Gloria Allred, at a press conference announcing another lawsuit.
The cinematographers husband, son and estate settled a separate complaint, and the new one will be pursued by her mother, sister and father.
At a press conference in California, Allred announced the filing of the complaint on behalf of parents Olga Solovey and Anatolii Androsovych and sister Svetlana Zemko.
“Olga Solovey is devastated by the shocking killing of her beautiful daughter, Halyna,” Allred said. “Olga had a very close relationship with her daughter and they depended on each other for emotional and financial support.”
Zemko also had a “very close and loving relationship” with her late sister, the attorney said.
Svetlana Zemko and Halyna Hutchins (Photo courtesy of Gloria Allred)
As for Hutchins’ father, Allred said: “His relationship with her can never be replaced, and is now irreparably damaged.”
The lawsuit alleges battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress negligence and loss of consortium.
In a nod to international events, Allred said that the family must cope their loved one’s death while living in Ukraine.
“In the midst of Putin’s war, Olga is doing her best to cope with the loss of Halyna while at the same time acting as an emergency operating room nurse in a hospital in Ukraine, where she’s caring for those who have been hurt in battle,” Allred said.
Halyna Hutchins’s mother Olga Solovey (left) poses for a picture with her daughter and grandson Andros. (Photo courtesy of Gloria Allred)
The development compounds Baldwin’s mounting civil and criminal woes for allegedly firing the shot that killed Hutchins on the set of “Rust” on Oct. 21, 2021.
Baldwin insists that the gun simply went off without him firing.
Prosecutors, who have charged the actor with involuntary manslaughter, asserted that the FBI found that claim implausible after extensive testing. Baldwin could face five years imprisonment if convicted of a firearm enhancement on the top charge, but legal experts say that the actor could mount a potent constitutional challenge to avoid that fate. That statute was amended the year after the shooting, potentially implicating the Constitution’s ex-post facto clause.
In his opening salvo opposing the charges against him, Baldwin’s legal team sought to disqualify special prosecutor Andrea Reeb’s participation in the case as “unconstitutional.” An elected Republican lawmaker in New Mexico, Reeb would be serving in the state’s legislative and judicial branches simultaneously, and Baldwin says the Land of Enchantment’s constitution forbids that.
The Santa Fe District Attorney’s office and a special prosecutor also charged two other people with Baldwin: armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director David Halls, the latter of whom entered into a plea deal with the government.
Halls pleaded down to negligent use of a deadly weapon, which will have him avoid prison time through a suspended sentence and six months of probation.
The prior lawsuit filed by Hutchins’ husband accused Baldwin of wrongful death, recounting the fatal shooting with dramatic foreboding in a complaint.
Filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the latest lawsuit claims Baldwin cannot excuse the incident on the failings of others.
“The industry wide safety bulletin for use of firearms mandates that all firearms are to be treated as though they are loaded because, as Alec Baldwin knew, guns are inherently dangerous weapons,” the complaint states. “Alec Baldwin should have assumed that the gun in question was loaded, unless and until it was demonstrated to him or checked by him that it was not loaded. He had no right to rely upon some alleged statement by Assistant Director Halls that it was a ‘cold gun.’ Mr. Baldwin cannot hide behind the Assistant Director to attempt to excuse the fact that he did not check the gun himself and yet subsequently cocked and fired the gun that killed Ms. Hutchins.”
Baldwin’s lawyer Luke Nikas didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include details from the press conference announcing the lawsuit.