Alec Baldwin’s Rust Set Lawsuit Dismissed in Malicious Prosecution Bid
A New Mexico judge has dismissed Alec Baldwin’s lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the fatal 2021 Rust set shooting.
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On Wednesday, the Santa Fe County district court issued a ruling that ends Alec Baldwin’s claim against special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, three sheriff’s investigators, and the county board of commissioners. The judge dismissed the case without prejudice, citing a lack of significant action on Baldwin’s part since filing the tort claim earlier this year. Under New Mexico procedural rules, Baldwin’s team has 30 days to seek reinstatement if settlement talks fall apart.
Lead counsel Luke Nikas conveyed to The Associated Press that the dismissal is merely procedural. His office has pursued good-faith settlement discussions with the named parties and intends to refile if negotiations are not “promptly and favorably resolved.” Nikas’s remarks follow last year’s involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin, which was dropped at trial amid allegations that prosecutors withheld key evidence from the defense.
The underlying controversy stems from the tragic October 2021 incident at the Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe, where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza wounded. Baldwin, who was handling a firearm on set, maintains he pulled back the hammer but did not engage the trigger. The subsequent investigation revealed that unidentified ammunition had been delivered to the sheriff’s office months before the shooting, raising questions over chain-of-custody protocols and evidentiary transparency.
Baldwin’s lawsuit claims defamation and civil rights violations, arguing that prosecutors and investigators targeted him for personal or political gain rather than objective truth-seeking. Defendants deny these allegations, pointing to extensive pretrial review and witness interviews documented in court records. As the legal wrangling continues, the actor remains embroiled in a separate wrongful death suit filed by Hutchins’s parents and sister in New Mexico state court.
Court filings show that Baldwin’s deposition in that civil action was postponed in May and has yet to be rescheduled. Attorneys for Hutchins’s family assert that Baldwin and other producers bore systematic safety lapses on set, while Baldwin’s defense underscores his belief in a mechanical malfunction or mishandling by others. Both sides anticipate further discovery motions and potential expert testimony on firearms safety and film industry protocols.
The dismissal of Baldwin’s malicious prosecution claim represents a tactical pause rather than a definitive setback. It underscores the procedural hurdles in challenging prosecutorial conduct and highlights the delicate balance between settlement outreach and courtroom strategy. With a 30-day window to reactivate the suit, Baldwin’s legal team retains leverage in ongoing negotiations.
What unfolds next could reshape public perception of this high-profile case and set precedents for accountability in film production incidents. Stay tuned for further analysis and updates.
That concludes our in-depth review of the recent ruling. More updates will follow as new documents emerge.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, The Associated Press
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
