By Eili Cordova
Alec Baldwin will face justice again, this time in the civil sphere. A Los Angeles judge ordered Friday that actor to stand trial in October to determine whether he negligently fired a prop gun in the filming space of the movie “Rust”, in an incident that shocked the film industry.
Although the criminal case for hmanslaughter against Baldwin was dismissed in July 2024after ruling that the prosecution had concealed evidence, The interpreter still faces multiple lawsuits related to the incident occurred in October 2021 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which ended the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The case that goes to trial
The lawsuit that now proceeds was filed by Serge Svetnoy, a lighting technician who was in the space on the day of the event. Svetnoy was not physically injured, but claims to have suffered severe emotional distress due to what he considers negligence on the part of Baldwin and the production.
In a ruling issued Friday, Judge Maurice Leiter of the Los Angeles Superior Court, rejected the defense arguments presented by Rust Movie Productions and by Baldwin himselfwho maintained that they were not legally responsible for space security.
“A reasonable jury could conclude that Mr. Baldwin ignored the likelihood that pointing a gun in someone’s direction, with his finger on the trigger, would cause emotional distress,” the judge wrote in his ruling, as quoted by Differ.
The actor repeatedly stated that he was unaware that the gun was loaded. with an accurate bullet, a serious violation of safety protocols in any production, and that he never pulled the trigger. However, the judge considered that there are sufficient elements for a jury to decide whether there was recklessness.
The judge dismissed the assault complaint, finding no evidence that Baldwin intended to harm anyone. But He did admit claims for punitive damages, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The trial was initially scheduled for May 26, but both parties requested an extension to continue the investigation and negotiate a possible out-of-court settlement. However, Judge Leiter, noting that the case is almost five years old, set the new date for October 12 and warned that he is not willing to allow further delays.
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