Alec Baldwin to Face Civil Trial in Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting
A civil lawsuit tied to the 2021 fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust has been cleared to move ahead to trial, following a recent ruling by a Los Angeles judge.
The case stems from the October 2021 incident in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where actor Alec Baldwin discharged a firearm during filming. The shot killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was 42, and injured director Joel Souza, who was 48.
The lawsuit was brought by Serge Svetnoy, a lighting technician who was working on the production. He alleges he narrowly avoided being struck by the same bullet and says the experience caused him significant emotional distress. Svetnoy argues that safety failures and cost-cutting decisions on the set created hazardous conditions, and he claims Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and production entities were aware of the risks involved.
On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter ruled that Svetnoy’s claims—including negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and requests for punitive damages—can proceed toward trial, which is expected later this year.
Separately, Baldwin had faced criminal charges in connection with Hutchins’ death. Prosecutors in Santa Fe previously charged him with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. However, that criminal case was dismissed with prejudice in July 2024 by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, preventing the charges from being filed again. During those proceedings, Baldwin’s defense team argued that prosecutors withheld key evidence.
The new ruling keeps the focus on the civil side of the case, where claims of workplace negligence on the Rust set will now be examined in court.
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