The family of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit against producers of Rust including Alec Baldwin, Deadline reports. Production on the Western film is expected to resume in January with Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s widower, now serving as executive producer.
“We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC,” Matthew Hutchins said in a statement. “As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed.”
He added, “The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023.”
“I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” Hutchins continued, “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
Hutchins died on October 21st, 2021, when a prop gun held by Baldwin discharged a live bullet. Baldwin himself has claimed that he did not pull the trigger, though a report from the FBI determined that the gun, a Pietta Colt .45, “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger.” The weapon had been loaded by armorer Hannah Guitterez-Reed and declared safe by assistant director Dave Halls, both of whom have histories of safety issues.
While most parties seem to believe that Halyna Hutchins’ death was an accident, that doesn’t absolve producers from legal liability. Hours before the shooting, several crew members walked-off the set as a protest against poor and unsafe working conditions, which may have been created by the producers. Last month, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies signaled that Baldwin and others may soon face charges.
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