Facing possible refiling of criminal charges in the fatal shooting incident in 2021 Rust Cinematographer Helena Hutchins, Alec Baldwin failed today in his attempt to bring a civil case over the tragedy.
In a technically challenged virtual hearing this morning before New Mexico First District Court Judge Brian Bedshade, Baldwin and co-defendants El Dorado Pictures and Rust Movie Productions motion was denied. The judge also refused a further request to stay the case until the end of the criminal trial.
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earlier this year, Rust Crew members Ross Adigo, Doran Curtin, and Rhys Price sued Baldwin and the production companies for “careless and reckless behaviour.” Faced with a large number of cases arising from the shooting of an indie western, the defendants had a back-up plan to hold Adigo, Curtin and Price until the end of the case. Rust The criminal trial has ended.
Judge Bedshead declared that he was “not aware” of the present case of the “criminal trial with Mr. Baldwin”, and said that it was “surprisingly common” for a defendant to combine a criminal and a civil case. The judge seemed inclined not to pause the matter, and opened the door for the defendants to be able to “assert their constitutional rights as they saw fit” moving forward as he refused to pause.
This is the second important shift in the courtroom Rust matter this week.
On August 21st The criminal trial of arms manufacturer Hannah Gutierrez Reid over Hutchins’ death has been postponed to February 21, 2024.
Although there has been no official word on this latest delay in this long-awaited matter, “scheduling issues” around witnesses appear to be at the heart of the move. The criminal trial is expected to last about two weeks, though that could change if Baldwin returns to the case.
Gutierrez Reid W Rust Star producer Baldwin — who was aiming a .45 Colt when it exploded, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Sousa — They were charged in late January with two counts of second-degree manslaughter—charges that were changed soon after. At present, Gutierrez Reed is serving a maximum prison sentence of 18 months and a fine of approximately $5,000 if found guilty.
In the face of a wall of constitutional criticism and more, the Charges against Baldwin were dropped in April, but recently appointed special prosecutors indicated at the time that charges could be redirected at a later date if evidence emerged. Plus prosecutors Carey Morrissey and Jason Lewis Added a charge of tampering with evidence against Gutierrez Reid Two months later, she said, the arms manufacturer “transferred the drugs to another person with the intent to prevent her arrest, trial, or conviction.”
Amid it all, a recently released forensic report on the controversial firearm, commissioned by prosecutors Morrissey and Lewis, rejects Baldwin’s longstanding insistence that he never pulled the trigger. “Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies that the trigger was pulled, in light of the tests, results, and observations reported herein, the trigger must have been pulled or pressed sufficiently to fire the pilot pistol’s hammer cocked or fully retracted,” August 2 report by Weapons examiners. Lucien Haag and Michael Haag.
Despite the damage to the gun in previous examinations, Haag’s findings echo findings made by the FBI later last year.
“The charges against Mr. Baldwin are now being considered, but no final decision has yet been made,” Special Prosecutor Morrissey said last week. A timetable for the aforementioned final decision was not disclosed, but it is expected to be issued in the next month at the latest.
At today’s hearing, plaintiffs’ attorney Alex Cervantes noted that “there are a lot of moving parts” in the case. She also cheered it up Rust decided to hire “inexperienced contractors” such as gunsmith Gutierrez Reed to “cut costs” – assertions that have surfaced time and time again in the various cases involving Rust.
Discussing allegations of negligence, Cervantes recalled that “several crew members resigned” on the day of the shooting on October 21, 2021, citing “safety concerns” – as reported in a number of cases about Rust. “Everything is there, it’s a strong complaint,” Cervantes added, asking Judge Bedscheid to reject the motion for dismissal – as he later did.
Upon entering the joint venture, defendant attorney Robert Schwartz argued that Baldwin simply had “a production agreement that gave him almost no power” over Rust. This idea conflicted with Baldwin’s previously announced stature in the film, which he had envisioned with director Joel Sousa. “The contract itself, which they assert created this relationship, did not create this relationship.”
Schwartz advised the court today, unsuccessfully, to halt the civil case and any discovery for “two weeks” until it was decided whether to withdraw Baldwin back to criminal trial. After the judge’s rulings, Schwartz called it “a real injustice” because Baldwin was “on the verge of criminal charges.”
Whether Baldwin returns to the criminal case or not, Rust The revived movie wrapped production this spring after shooting in Montana. Which means the movie could be released as various civil trials continue through the courts in California and the Land of Enchantment.
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