Actor Alec Baldwin has reached a settlement with the family of the cinematographer killed on the set of his movie Rust in 2021.
Halyna Hutchins’ family filed a wrongful death suit in February of 2022 naming Baldwin and the movie’s other producers as plaintiffs.
The lawsuit contends the producers and the production company disregarded safety standards, “chose to hire the cheapest crew available” as well as ”knowingly hired a wholly unqualified armorer” who also served as the assistant props master. The complaint says Baldwin "recklessly shot and killed Halyna" after he and the other producers "failed to perform industry standard safety checks and follow basic gun safety rules while using real guns to produce the movie Rust, with fatal consequences."
“The Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations," the lawsuit stated, per E! News.
Hutchins died on Oct. 21 while setting up a scene on the movie’s New Mexico set. Authorities say she and the movie’s director, Joel Souza, were hit by a bullet fired by Baldwin, who was carrying a gun for the scene, per WFTV9.
Matthew Hutchins, the cinematographer's husband, confirmed the settlement in a statement obtained by Deadline.
“We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed,” said Matthew Hutchins on Oct. 5.
Hutchins also announced he will join the project as an executive producer. Filming is expected to resume in January of 2023.
“I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” Hutchins added. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
Souza is also expected to return to the project.
“In my own attempts to heal, any decision to return to finish directing the film could only make sense for me if it was done with the involvement of Matt and the Hutchins family,” he said in a statement, per CNN. “Though certainly bittersweet, I am pleased that together, we will now complete what Halyna and I started. My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud.”
Luke Nikas, an attorney for Baldwin, released a statement noting that all the parties involved in the lawsuit “maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son.”
“We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation,” Nikas said.
On Instagram, Baldwin shared a screenshot of Deadline’s coverage of the announcement with the same statement from his lawyer. The specific terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
