Embattled Hollywood star Alec Baldwin has demanded to be removed from all lawsuits resulting from the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, claiming the victim is to blame for the fatal incident.
Baldwin made an arbitration demand to be indemnified of all fees and other financial costs related to lawsuits as a result of the fatal shooting of cinematographer Hutchins on the set of his movie “Rust.”
Aside from being the shooter, Baldwin was also a producer on the movie so he has been hit with multiple lawsuits.
Baldwin blamed the movie’s armorer, assistant director, and the man whose company supplied ammunition to the production of “Rust” for the tragic incident.
He says he shouldn’t bear any financial responsibility at all for the tragedy.
He claims that Hutchins is responsible for her own death because she “directed” him to “hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her.”
The arbitration demand says: “At this point, two things are clear: someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin.
“Baldwin is an actor.
“He didn’t announce that the gun was ‘cold’ when it really contained a live round; he didn’t load the gun; he didn’t check the bullets in the gun; he didn’t purchase the bullets; he didn’t make the bullets and represent that they were dummies; he wasn’t in charge of firearm safety on the set; he didn’t hire the people who supplied the bullets or checked the gun; and he played no role in managing the movie’s props.
“Each of those jobs was performed by someone else.”
Baldwin is trying to claim that the producer agreement requires arbitration of any disputes.
And he says a clause in his contract absolves him of any financial responsibility, including legal fees.
“Reed did not instruct Baldwin to check the gun himself,” wrote Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas.
“In fact, she told Baldwin that it was her job to check the gun—not his.”
“This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences,” Nikas wrote.
“That person is not Alec Baldwin.”
Baldwin then appears to blame the victim.
The filing claims Hutchins is the one who told him how to position the gun:
“She directed Baldwin to hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her.
“She was looking carefully at the monitor and then at Baldwin, and then back again, as she gave these instructions.”
“In giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was ‘cold’ and contained no live rounds.”
The filing continues:
As he had done throughout his career, Baldwin trusted the other professionals on the set to do their jobs.
Until October 21, Baldwin had never been involved in a breach of safety on the set of any movie or film, and he has safely handled firearms and other weapons without incident in at least a dozen films and television projects, including: The Hunt For Red October, Miami Blues, The Getaway, The Shadow, Heaven’s Prisoners, The Juror, The Edge, Thick as Thieves, Mission Impossible: Fallout.
Alec Baldwin blames almost everyone but himself in fatal ‘Rust’ shooting: new docs https://t.co/NXzzU8zA4H pic.twitter.com/9aXfhR4Zcg
— New York Post (@nypost) March 11, 2022
Alec Baldwin says his “Rust” contract makes him judgement proof in the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins … and he goes on to blame her for the fatal incident. https://t.co/NegHBO3Mel
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 11, 2022
