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A civil lawsuit involving Alec Baldwin is moving forward in court, following the tragic on-set shooting incident on the film “Rust.”
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that the lawsuit filed by Serge Svetnoy, the film’s gaffer, can proceed to trial. This development comes nearly three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died in October 2021 when a firearm Baldwin was holding discharged.
The judge’s ruling noted that “a reasonable jury could find that Mr. Baldwin recklessly disregarded the probability that pointing a gun in the direction of someone, with the finger on the trigger, would cause emotional distress,” according to court documents obtained by Variety.
Baldwin, who previously faced criminal charges related to the incident, had those involuntary manslaughter charges dismissed with prejudice by a Santa Fe judge in July 2024.
Svetnoy’s civil lawsuit, originally filed in late 2021, argues that there was no justification for live ammunition to be present on set, particularly in the .45 Colt revolver Baldwin handled. At the time of the shooting, Svetnoy was standing about six to seven feet behind the monitor as Baldwin rehearsed a cross-draw maneuver when the gun unexpectedly fired.
Svetnoy immediately assisted Hutchins in the aftermath, realizing only later how narrowly he had escaped serious injury himself. The lawsuit states that the bullet passed dangerously close to Svetnoy, underscoring the lethal risk posed by the presence of live rounds on set.
The complaint further asserts that Baldwin was not expected to discharge the weapon during filming and that the revolver should have been free of live ammunition.
In public statements, Baldwin has insisted he did not pull the trigger, describing the shooting as a tragic accident.
Svetnoy was unharmed in the incident. As this civil case moves toward trial, it marks the latest chapter in the ongoing legal aftermath of a devastating event that shook the film industry.