The “Rust” assistant director filed a countersuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, December 16. Read on and we’ll give you the low down.
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Everybody’s Suing Somebody
According to the Times of San Diego, David Halls, who reportedly handed the prop gun to Alec Baldwin which ultimately led to the death of Halyna Hutchins, filed the countersuit against Alec Baldwin, 64, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, prop master Sarah Zachry and Seth Kenney and his company, PDQ Arm & Prop.
Notably, PDQ Arm and Prop supplied the prop weapons and ammunition for the production (via NBC Los Angeles). The countersuit attempts to absolve Halls of any liability and asks that the parties being sued be required to pay any damages assessed against him.
Alec Baldwin – Countersuit Details
Alec Baldwin had filed his own countersuit for negligence and indemnity against Halls, Zachry, and Kenney as well as Kenney’s company last month. According to Baldwin’s suit, crew members negligently put live rounds in the prop gun that he was using when it discharged during that fateful rehearsal on October 21, 2021, killing the 42-year-old cinematographer and wounding director Joel Souza, now 49.
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Baldwin’s suit rose from an underlying complaint made by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell who sued Baldwin and other crew members for what she alleges was emotional distress from being too close to the shooting.
Rust Investigation Still Going After 6 Months
CNN reported around the time of the shooting that a flurry of emails sent by Baldwin indicated that he suspected sabotage played a part in the incident. The investigation is still ongoing.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed to The Wire that the criminal case into the ‘Rust’ shooting remains wide open six months later. According to the outlet, the beleaguered actor could still face charges as a result of the incident.
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Santa Fe Sheriff Weighs In
In an interview with Today, on Tuesday, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said on the matter, “I don’t think anybody is off the hook when it comes to criminal charges.” The Sherriff went on to say that the investigation still has yet to discover how live ammunition made its way into a prop gun on that fateful day – or who was ultimately to blame.
“No one’s come forward and admitted to bringing the live rounds onto the movie set,” he said. “There was information from text messages that was concerning based on the fact that live ammo was spoken about and was possibly used on a prior movie set, and that was just a few months before the ‘Rust’ movie set and production began.”
Be sure and stay up to speed on ‘Rust’ shooting developments. Return here often for more Alex Baldwin news and updates.
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