Alec Baldwin will face a civil trial in October during 2021 Rust shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a Los Angeles judge ruled the case should continue.
The lawsuit was filed by Serge Svetnoy, a gaffer on the New Mexico set, who claims emotional distress caused by negligence.
Svetnoy was not physically injured in the shooting, but claimed he felt the effects of the explosion and heard the gunshot at close range.
In a summary judgment affirmed by PEOPLELos Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter allowed the case to go to trial, with Svetnoy’s attorney arguing simply: “Mr. Baldwin is the last line of defense. Guns generally don’t shoot themselves.”
The incident occurred on October 21, 2021, when a prop gun held by Baldwin, 68, who was both the lead actor and producer on the film, fired a live bullet on set in New Mexico, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
The civil suit adds another legal chapter to what has already been a lengthy and painful process for Baldwin.
In January 2023, he and the film’s bodyguard Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were both charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Charges against Baldwin were dropped in April 2024, then reinstated after a new grand jury investigation in January 2024, which reportedly found evidence that he had pulled the trigger.
His legal team sought to have those charges dismissed before the July 2024 trial began, but the attempt was initially denied.
However, just days into the trial, the judge dismissed the case with prejudice, citing the late discovery of evidence that had “affected the fundamental fairness of the case.”
The toll in recent years has been considerable.
Baldwin has said publicly that the ordeal has taken “10 years off my life.” Rust, dedicated to Hutchins and featuring Bianca Cline as her replacement cinematographer, was eventually released in May 2025.
