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Alec Baldwin’s Malicious Prosecution Lawsuit Dismissed
A New Mexico judge has dismissed actor Alec Baldwin’s lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution in the “Rust” shooting case. This comes a year after the involuntary manslaughter charge against him was dropped in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin filed the suit in January, claiming he was unfairly targeted by overzealous prosecutors and law enforcement seeking a celebrity scapegoat. The suit named special prosecutor Kari T.
Morrissey, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies, and county commissioners as defendants. Baldwin asserted they were driven by a desire to convict him “for all the wrong reasons, and at any cost.”
However, Third Judicial District Judge Casey B. Fitch dismissed the case on Tuesday due to a lack of activity. Citing a six-month gap since any significant action, Judge Fitch gave Baldwin’s legal team 30 days to file a motion to reinstate the lawsuit.
This ruling marks another step towards the conclusion of the legal battles surrounding the “Rust” shooting. The case against weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez Reed concluded in May after she served time for involuntary manslaughter.
Baldwin’s original involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed by then-Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer after potential evidence was withheld from the defense. At the time, Sommer expressed strong disapproval of the prosecution’s handling of the evidence.