Alec Baldwin 'Seeks to Clear His Name' in New Lawsuit Against Rust Armorer, Crew
Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin is taking legal action for the first time in last year's fatal Rust on-set shooting incident that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
In court docs obtained by PEOPLE, the Academy Award nominee, 64, "seeks to clear his name" after he was rehearsing with the prop gun as it misfired, killing Hutchins and wounding writer-director Joel Souza on Oct. 21, 2021 in Santa Fe, N.M.
"More than anyone else on that set, Baldwin has been wrongfully viewed as the perpetrator of this tragedy," the lawsuit reads.
RELATED: Rust Shooting 1 Year Later: What's Next for Alec Baldwin's Western After Tragedy
The cross-complaint, which was filed Friday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, names some of the same people accused of negligence in script supervisor Mamie Mitchell's 2021 lawsuit, which also previously listed Baldwin, the production company and others involved.
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Should Mitchell be victorious with her lawsuit, Baldwin is seeking a share of those damages for himself, according to his court documents.
Mat Hayward/Getty Halyna Hutchins
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The actor, who stars in the western in addition to producing, lists armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, assistant director David Halls, prop master Sarah Zachry and armorer assistant Seth Kenney in the cross-complaint, as well as Kenney's prop weapon and ammunition supply store company.
Baldwin's attorneys Luke Nikas and Robert M. Schwartz wrote that the defendants "owed a duty to those on set, including Baldwin, to keep the set safe. Everyone on set, including Baldwin, expected and trusted them to do so."
The lawsuit reads: "This tragedy occurred on a movie set — not a gun range, not a battlefield, not a location where even a remote possibility should exist that a gun would contain live ammunition. It occurred under the supervision of a professional armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, and the First Assistant Director, Halls, who were hired to protect the actors and crew on set.
RELATED: Alec Baldwin Is 'Grateful' After Settling with Halyna Hutchins' Widower amid 'Painful Situation'
"This tragedy happened because live bullets were delivered to the set and loaded into the gun, Gutierrez-Reed failed to check the bullets or the gun carefully, Halls failed to check the gun carefully and yet announced the gun was safe before handing it to Baldwin, and Zachry failed to disclose that Gutierrez-Reed had been acting recklessly off set and was a safety risk to those around her," the filing alleges.
Baldwin's cross-complaint seeks "compensatory, nominal, statutory, and punitive damages" through jury trial.
RELATED VIDEO: Alec Baldwin Says He's Been 'Fired' from Acting Job Over Rust Shooting Fallout
Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwie said in September that Baldwin could face criminal charges in the fatal shooting. Additionally, he and the film's producers have faced several lawsuits, including one filed by Hutchins' family for wrongful death, which was settled last month.
Halyna's widower Matthew Hutchins, with whom she shares son Andros, will now be an executive producer on Rust when it resumes filming in January.
