The lawsuits stemming from Alec Baldwin and the fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust now sit almost entirely on the civil side. Baldwin’s criminal case was dismissed with prejudice in July 2024, meaning it cannot be refiled. What remains is a cluster of civil actions: a negligence and emotional distress lawsuit from a crew member set for trial in October 2026, a wrongful death settlement already approved, other crew claims that have settled or been dropped, a malicious prosecution suit Baldwin himself filed against New Mexico officials, and defamation claims from the ammunition supplier.
The Criminal Case Is Over
Baldwin was indicted in January 2024 on two fourth-degree felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, each carrying up to 18 months in prison.{1ABC News. Alec Baldwin Indicted by Grand Jury for Involuntary Manslaughter} His trial began July 9, 2024. Three days in, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice.{2NPR. Alec Baldwin Case Dismissed}
The dismissal came down to withheld evidence. A man named Troy Teske had turned over ammunition to the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office that he said came from the same batch of live rounds used on the Rust set, and Baldwin’s defense team never received it. Judge Sommer found the prosecution “highly culpable” and said, “There is no way for the court to right this wrong.”{2NPR. Alec Baldwin Case Dismissed} The ruling amounted to a Brady violation, the constitutional requirement that prosecutors share exculpatory evidence with the defense.
Prosecutors appealed in November 2024, then dropped the appeal on December 23, 2024, closing the criminal case for good.{3CBS News. Rust Shooting Timeline}
The Shooting and Who Else Was Charged
On October 21, 2021, Baldwin was rehearsing inside a church set at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe when a prop Colt .45 revolver he was holding discharged a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, and wounding director Joel Souza. First assistant director David Halls had handed Baldwin the gun and called out “cold gun.”{4ABC News. Rust Timeline: Key Events in Alec Baldwin Set Shooting} Baldwin has said he did not pull the trigger; an FBI analysis cited by prosecutors concluded the gun would not have fired without the trigger being pulled.
Two other people faced criminal exposure. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March 2024, acquitted of evidence tampering, and sentenced to the maximum 18 months.{5NBC News. Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed} She was released from the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility on May 23, 2025, and is on parole in Arizona under electronic monitoring, a curfew, and a work-or-school requirement.{6The Guardian. Rust Movie Armorer Released Hannah Gutierrez-Reed} An appeal of her conviction is pending.{7ABC 11. Rust Movie Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Completes Prison Sentence} David Halls pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon and received six months of unsupervised probation.{4ABC News. Rust Timeline: Key Events in Alec Baldwin Set Shooting}
The Civil Case Heading to Trial: Serge Svetnoy
The civil suit still on a trial track was filed by Serge Svetnoy, the film’s chief lighting technician, who says he narrowly missed being hit by the shot and suffered severe emotional distress. He sued Baldwin, Baldwin’s production company El Dorado Pictures, and Rust Movie Productions in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.{8NBC News. Alec Baldwin Rust Shooting Civil Trial Can Proceed, Judge Rules}
On April 17, 2026, Judge Maurice Leiter denied Baldwin’s motions for summary judgment and let the case go to trial. Claims for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and punitive damages will proceed. The assault claim was dismissed, the judge finding no evidence Baldwin intended to harm anyone.{9Variety. Alec Baldwin Rust Shooting Civil Trial Negligence} Leiter wrote that “a reasonable jury could find that Mr. Baldwin recklessly disregarded the probability that pointing a gun in the direction of someone, with the finger on the trigger, would cause emotional distress.”{10ABC News. Alec Baldwin to Face Civil Trial Over Alleged Negligence in Deadly Rust Shooting}
Baldwin’s defense had also argued Svetnoy’s claims belonged in the workers’ compensation system. The judge rejected that, noting the production company had no employees, so workers’ comp did not apply.{9Variety. Alec Baldwin Rust Shooting Civil Trial Negligence} Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan maintains Baldwin did not pull the trigger and was not responsible for hiring or prop decisions. Svetnoy is represented by attorney John Upton.{11Forbes. Rust Aftermath: Baldwin Heading to Civil Trial Over Emotional Distress Claims}
Trial was originally set for May 26, 2026. After both sides asked for more time for discovery and settlement talks, it was rescheduled to October 12, 2026, in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Karine Mkrtchyan.{11Forbes. Rust Aftermath: Baldwin Heading to Civil Trial Over Emotional Distress Claims}
Civil Cases Already Resolved or Dropped
Matthew Hutchins Wrongful Death Settlement
Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their son, Andros. The parties settled in October 2022, and a New Mexico judge approved the deal on June 1, 2023. Financial terms are sealed, but the agreement created annuities that pay out to Andros when he turns 18 and 22. As part of the settlement, Matthew Hutchins became an executive producer on Rust.{12ABC News. Judge Approves Settlement in Rust Shooting Lawsuit}
Hutchins’ Parents and Sister
Halyna Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey, father Anatolii Androsovych, and sister Svetlana Zemko filed a separate suit against Baldwin and the producers in Los Angeles Superior Court in February 2023, alleging negligence and loss of consortium.{13NBC DFW. Alec Baldwin Sued by Halyna Hutchins’ Parents and Sister Over Fatal Rust Shooting} After a California judge found certain defendants lacked sufficient California connections, the family withdrew and refiled in Santa Fe in June 2024.{14Los Angeles Times. Slain Rust Filmmaker Halyna Hutchins’ Family Again Sues Alec Baldwin, Producers} Then, on June 10, 2024, the family’s lawyers moved to dismiss the complaint without prejudice, offering no public explanation. Because the dismissal was without prejudice, the family can refile.{15NBC Los Angeles. Family of Cinematographer Killed on Set of Rust Drops Lawsuit}
Crew Members Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin, and Reese Price
Dolly operator Ross Addiego, set costumer Doran Curtin, and key grip Reese Price sued Baldwin and the producers for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, accusing the production of a “disastrous safety culture” that included hiring an inexperienced armorer, skipping safety protocols, and rushing the schedule. As of June 2025, Baldwin and the other producers settled the case. Terms were not disclosed.{16Hollywood Reporter. Rust Producers Settle Lawsuit With Crew Members}
Script Supervisor Mamie Mitchell
Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell sued Baldwin in November 2021, alleging negligence, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit accuses Baldwin of firing a loaded gun when no rehearsal was underway and when the scene did not call for the weapon to be discharged, and it alleges two prior accidental discharges on the Rust set before the fatal incident.{17Hollywood Reporter. Alec Baldwin Rust Mamie Mitchell Lawsuit} A judge allowed the negligence, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims to proceed, along with a claim for punitive damages against Baldwin and El Dorado Pictures.{18Deadline. Rust Lawsuit: Assault, Battery, Alec Baldwin, Script Supervisor}
Baldwin’s Malicious Prosecution Lawsuit
After the dismissal, Baldwin filed his own suit. In January 2025, he sued for malicious prosecution, naming special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, three Santa Fe County sheriff’s investigators, and the county board of commissioners. Baldwin alleges he was made a “celebrity scapegoat” by officials responding to media pressure to solve Hutchins’ death.{19Los Angeles Times. Alec Baldwin Lawsuit Wrongful Prosecution}
The case has moved around. A New Mexico judge dismissed it in July 2025 for 90 days of inactivity; Baldwin’s team got it reinstated that September. In October 2025, the defendants removed the case to federal court, arguing it involves federal civil rights claims and that Baldwin is not a New Mexico resident.{20KCRA. Alec Baldwin Lawsuit Rust Shooting Federal Court} As of that transfer, Baldwin’s attorneys had approached state and county officials about settlement, but no deal has been publicly reported.{21U.S. News. Malicious Prosecution Lawsuit by Alec Baldwin in Rust Shooting Moves to Federal Court}
Seth Kenney’s Defamation and Civil Rights Suits
Seth Kenney, the Albuquerque-based ammunition supplier who provided dummy rounds to the Rust set, testified for the prosecution at both the Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin trials. Investigators never conclusively determined how live rounds became mixed with blanks or proved the live rounds came from Kenney’s stock.{22The Independent. Rust Seth Kenney Gun Supplier Alec Baldwin Halyna Hutchins}
Kenney has since filed a civil complaint against Baldwin and the producers alleging defamation and conspiracy, saying his reputation and business were destroyed by what he calls a “scapegoat smear campaign.” He has also filed a separate civil rights lawsuit against the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, alleging investigators used false information to obtain a search warrant for his business.{23Variety. Rust Gun Supplier Seth Kenney Sues Alec Baldwin}