‘Corrupt’: Baldwin’s team slams new court move

Lawyers for Hollywood star Alec Baldwin have hit back after a major move by the prosecutor in his previous involuntary manslaughter case.

Alec Baldwin’s legal team has hit back after the prosecutor in the Rust shooting trial tried to revive the star’s previous involuntary manslaughter case.

Prosecutor Kari Morrissey filed a one-page court document on November 21, which has now been made public.

The case against Hollywood star Baldwin was dismissed by a New Mexico judge in July.

“We sincerely doubt Attorney General Torrez will be pursuing this appeal, which would only further the unethical and corrupt conduct that gave rise to the court’s dismissal,” defence lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro told Deadline.

Baldwin’s legal team previously slammed a previous motion by Ms Morrissey in August over her bid to revive the case, accusing the prosecutor of “continued abuse of the judicial process”.

A prosecutor wants to see Hollywood star Alec Baldwin back in court. Picture: Getty Images

The new document stated: “The State of New Mexico, by and through Special Prosecutor, Kari T. Morrissey, appeals to the New Mexico Court of Appeals from the Court’s Order Granting Defendant Alec Baldwin’s Expedited Motion for Dismissal and Sanctions …filed on July 31, 2024 and from the Court’s Order Denying State’s Amended Motion to Reconsider Dismissal with Prejudice filed on October 24, 2024, copies of which are attached hereto.”

It came after Baldwin revealed he has no plans to watch the final version of his film Rust following the tragic on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Alec Baldwin says wife Hilaria was traumatised by the Rust court case. Picture: Getty Images for Netflix

Baldwin was holding a revolver during a rehearsal for the low-budget Western movie in October 2021 when a live round was fired, killing Ms Hutchins and wounding the film’s director.

“Only because this is obviously the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life,” the 66-year-old actor told Variety at Italy’s Torino Film Festival.

“Beyond the victims themselves, the thing that most pains me is what it did to my wife (Hilaria).

“My wife has been very, very traumatised from this. There has been a lot of pain.”

Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on set of the film. Picture: Instagram

“When you are married to somebody and everything was going fairly well and we had seven kids … and the floor falls out. It’s very frightening and very disturbing.

“And we are trying to get the wind in our sails, to get away from this stuff. Because the film doesn’t stand by itself. It’s always going to be overshadowed by this.”

Baldwin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter and faced a maximum of 18 months behind bars, however, a judge in New Mexico eventually dismissed the case after finding that prosecutors had withheld key evidence from the defence.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, as the film’s armourer, was responsible for sourcing dummy and blank rounds for the movie set.

She accidentally loaded the fatal gun with a live round – the origin of which has never been explained – and was sentenced earlier this year to 18 months in prison.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted by a jury of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin in 2021. Picture: AFP

The film, of which Baldwin is both the lead star and a producer on, premiered at the Camerimage Festival in Poland although the actor wasn’t invited to the event.

Baldwin told Variety he’s “happy the film got completed” after production resumed in 2023 following the tragedy.

“We arrived to the reshoot and it was a better film in a lot of ways,” he said.

“Other than Halyna. But for now, I want all things Rust to just leave my windshield, so I can go and do other things and be a father to my children.”

Baldwin, who also has an eighth child with his ex-wife Kim Basinger , said he’s hopeful that the film gets released in the US to “make its money back for its investors.”

The actor said he also hopes Ms Hutchins’ husband Matt also “gets his money”.

Mr Hutchins filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, which was settled last year, and was later named an executive producer on the film after production resumed.

Alec Baldwin with his wife Hilaria in court after he was acquitted for involuntary manslaughter. Picture: AFP

“We all made a deal with him and we all want to follow through,” Baldwin said.
“But this idea that people — who shall remain nameless — say, ‘You are profiting from this!’ That is absolutely wrong.”

“We finish … And I wavered my fee. I gave them back the fee in the budget. I waived all my back-end. I gave everything to her husband. He owns the film. Her husband, I believe, is the sole owner of the film, though I could be wrong. Everything was done with that in mind,” he said.

Before the Rust premiere at the Camerimage Festival, Ms Hutchins’ mum, Olga Solovey, blasted Baldwin in a statement and claimed that the actor has never apologised for the incident.

Alec Baldwin and crew on the set of movie 'Rust' in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Picture: Instagram

“Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologise to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death,” she said.

“Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter.”

“That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”

Rust currently has no planned American release date or distributor.