A judge ruled on Friday, 6th October 2023 – that the producers of the film “Rust” are required to provide documents, including Alec Baldwin‘s financial contracts, as part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic on-set shooting of a cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.
In October 2021, during rehearsals for the low-budget Film ‘Rust’ in New Mexico, Alec Baldwin was holding a Colt .45 which was discharged – resulting in the tragic death of Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
While manslaughter charges against Baldwin, who was both an actor and producer on the film, were dropped in April, the court hearing on Friday focused on a separate case against the movie’s armorer.
However, prosecutors indicated that they could potentially refile charges against Baldwin in the future.
They argued that information regarding how Baldwin benefits financially from minimizing production costs could be pertinent.
Prosecutor Kari Morrissey also alleged that the producers have been actively obstructing the criminal investigation since the day of the fatal incident.
Alec Baldwin – Getty Images
Abigail Wolberg, representing the producers, contended that details regarding “how Alec Baldwin was paid” were not relevant to the case against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer, and would be burdensome in terms of time and expense.
The producers argued that the request for financial documents and private correspondence from prosecutors was a “clear attempt to gather information without cause.”
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins tragically lost her life after being shot by a prop gun on the set of ‘Rust’ – (FILE – AP)
Nevertheless, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer mandated that the producers must provide the documents by October 20th, 2023.
Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering.
A lawyer representing Gutierrez-Reed emphasized that any documents shedding light on why his client was denied additional time to train actors, including Baldwin, in the safe use of firearms on set “could be highly significant.”
Baldwin has consistently denied any responsibility for the shooting. Both he and fellow producers are currently facing multiple civil proceedings related to the tragic incident.
More From Our Brands