Entertainment
Rust gaffer sues Alec Baldwin, armorer, and assistant director for ’emotional distress’ after Halyna Hutchins shooting
(L-R) Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Alec Baldwin and Dave Halls (Pictures: AFP / Rex / Instagram @alecbaldwininsta)
Serge Svetnoy, the key gaffer on the set of Rust, has reportedly sued actor and producer Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls.
The lawsuit, which has been filed after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot by Baldwin on set, reportedly claimed claiming the defendants’ alleged negligence caused him severe emotional distress.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, Svetnoy, who is suing for damages and a jury trial, claims the bullet that struck both Hutchins and director Joel Souza, who survived, almost hit him too.
He also reportedly claims that he was one of the first to attend to Hutchins, trying to keep her conscious after the accident.
According to the site, Svetnoy claims that Baldwin ‘owed a duty to the Plaintiff and other crew members and actors on the Rust set to handle the Colt Revolver provided to him by defendant Halls with reasonable care and diligence for the safety of Rust cast and crew.’
It reportedly adds that Baldwin had a ‘duty’ to act as if the gun was loaded and refrain from pointing it at anyone, and claims that the scene did not call for Baldwin to pull the trigger.
Svetnoy is reportedly suing for damages and a jury trial (Picture: REUTERS)
The documents also reportedly claim that Baldwin was negligent as a producer, and that the production ‘attempted to save money by hiring an insufficient number of crew members to safely handle the props and firearms.’
A police investigation is underway into the shooting, in which Hutchins was killed and Souza was injured.
Following the shooting, Santa Fe county sheriff said there had been ‘some complacency’ in how weapons were handled.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was the armorer on Rust (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
Authorities in Santa Fe are probing how a suspected live round came to be in the firearm, which had been declared safe by an assistant director, according to court documents.
Lawyers for the film’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed suggested that a live round was placed in a box of dummy rounds as an act of ‘sabotage’.
In a statement provided to People, her attorney Jason Bowles said: ‘Hannah Gutierrez-Reed would like to add a few points to the continuing narrative on the tragic events surrounding the shooting on the Rust set.
‘First, Hannah was incredibly safety conscious and took her job very seriously from the moment she started on Oct. 4.’
Bowles continued: ‘She did firearms training for the actors as well as Mr Baldwin, she fought for more training days and she regularly emphasised to never point a firearm at a person. Never in a million years did Hannah think that live rounds could have been in the “dummy” round box.
‘Who put those in there and why is the central question.’
Dave Halls was the assistant director (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
Halls previously said after the shooting: ‘Halyna Hutchins was not just one of the most talented people I’ve worked with, but also a friend,” Halls said in a statement.
‘I’m shocked and saddened by her death. It’s my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to reevaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again.’
As well as being the star of Rust alongside Jensen Ackles, Baldwin was a producer on the movie.
Production has been halted indefinitely while authorities investigate the shooting.
Baldwin most recently called for police officers to be hired by film and television companies to monitor weapons on set.
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He wrote: ‘Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safely.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Alec Baldwin and attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Dave Halls for comment.
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