New Suit Filed by Matthew Hutchins Claims Alec Baldwin ‘Recklessly Shot’ Halyna

Halyna Hutchins‘ family has filed a lawsuit claiming the wrongful death of the late Rust cinematographer four months after her untimely passing.

In new court documents filed by Matthew Hutchins, the suit claims that Alec Baldwin “recklessly shot and killed Halyna.”

Matthew Hutchins Claims That ‘Industry-Standard Safety Checks’ Were Not Followed on the Rust set.

The suit that was filed in New Mexico names other defendants in addition to Baldwin and states that they “failed to perform industry-standard safety checks and follow basic gun safety rules while using real guns to produce the movie Rust, with fatal consequences.”

As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Halyna Hutchins was killed in New Mexico while working as a cinematographer on the set of Rust. Baldwin, who was both an actor and producer for the film, accidentally discharged a gun that was supposed to be a prop shooting both Halyna and the director of the film, Joel Souza. Halyna was airlifted to a hospital where she was pronounced dead while Souza was treated and later released.

The suit states that Halyna “deserved to live” and “the Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations.”

The suit goes on to stress that it “seeks justice for the losses of her survivors and to hold responsible those who caused her tragic death.”

Baldwin’s attorneys released a statement in response to the wrongful death suit: “Any claim that Alec was reckless is entirely false. He, Halyna, and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a ‘cold gun’ – meaning there is no possibility of a discharge, blank or otherwise.” 

“This protocol has worked on thousands of films, with millions of discharges, as there has never before been an incident on a set where an actual bullet harmed anyone,” Balwin’s attorneys said and insisted that actors “should be able to rely on” armorers, prop department professionals and assistant directors “rather than deciding on their own when a gun is safe to use.”

As we reported in December, Baldwin told ABC News that the film’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, handed him a revolver and called it a “cold gun.” However, Dave’s lawyer, Lisa Torraco, wouldn’t confirm to ABC if he gave Alec the weapon, also asserting it was “not his responsibility” to check the gun.

Rust‘s weapons expert, Seth Kenny, and armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, have both released statements through their attorneys claiming no involvement with the tragedy.

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In October, a day after the fatal shooting, Baldwin took to social media to share his feelings:

“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred. I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

-Alec Baldwin / Twitter

The Sante Fe Sheriff’s Office has yet to charge anyone involved in the incident.