Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ parents, sister sue Alec Baldwin over ‘Rust’ shooting

The parents and sister of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed in the Rust on-set shooting, have filed a new lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers, according to the family’s attorney.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges negligence, battery, intentional affliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium, their attorney, Gloria Allred, said. The latter legal term refers to the loss of love, companionship, financial assistance and other factors from a loved one’s death.

“Halyna was the light in their lives,” Allred said during a press event Thursday, noting that in filing the lawsuit they hope to “find the truth and hold accountable those who are responsible.”

The Ukrainian-born Hutchins was working on the Western when Baldwin accidentally shot and killed her while he was practicing using a handgun on the New Mexico set in October 2021. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting.

Hutchins’ parents and sister, who still live in Ukraine, are trying to deal with the loss of a family member while living in the midst of the war, Allred said. Hutchins’ mother is an emergency operating room nurse, while her sister’s husband is fighting on the front lines, Allred said. The family’s attorneys said that Hutchins would have wanted to bring her family to the U.S. if she were still alive. Hutchins’ younger sister, Svetlana Zemko, called Halyna’s loss “devastating” to her family.

Baldwin and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. They are scheduled to make their first court appearance virtually on February 24.

Prosecutors claim that Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed failed to correct reckless safety violations in their roles as producer and armorer, respectively, and that Baldwin had his finger inside the trigger and it was pulled — contradicting his statements saying he never pulled the trigger.