Alec Baldwin is reportedly months late in paying a settlement to the family of a cinematographer who he allegedly shot and killed on the set of “Rust” in 2021.
The New York Times reported that Baldwin, 66, is having trouble paying his portion of a multimillion-dollar settlement to Halyna Hutchins’ husband as he financially supports their young son.
Baldwin has claimed he was showing how he would pull a gun from the holster when the weapon fired in a mock church pew at Bonanza Creek Ranch — leading to a single bullet traveling through director Joel Souza’s shoulder and then striking Hutchins.
An assistant director who handed the gun to Baldwin during a rehearsal told him the weapon was “cold,” meaning it was not loaded with live ammunition, but it actually was loaded with real bullets. Baldwin told investigators he was rehearsing a cross draw when the gun went off, without a pull of the trigger. However, the FBI’s investigation concluded that it could not have fired without someone pulling the trigger.
In 2022, Hutchins’ husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin, accusing him and producers of implementing cost-cutting measures that led to unsafe work conditions that facilitated Hutchins’ death. The lawsuit was ultimately settled for an undisclosed amount.
The family’s lawyer confirmed to The New York Times that they are exploring other legal remedies — including suing Baldwin for breach of contract — as they have not been paid by Baldwin or Rust Productions.
Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023, but prosecutors dropped the charges in April 2023. At the time, prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said they needed additional time to investigate new information presented to them, and that their review would not be completed before Baldwin’s preliminary hearing.
The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled. Prosecutors did just that in January.
In March, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the movie set’s armorer, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering. Sentenced to 18 months in prison, Reed said that weapons supplier Seth Kenney, not her, was responsible for mixing live and dummy rounds. Gutierrez-Reed, as armorer, was responsible for making sure that weapons were not loaded with live ammunition and in fact had loaded the gun that killed Hutchins.
Baldwin’s trial is scheduled to begin next month.
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[Featured image: AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File;Instagram]
