Three crew members who worked on Rust have settled a lawsuit over the accidental shooting of the cinematographer on the film’s set.
In a joint document filed last week, both sides notified the court of a deal to resolve the case. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
The lawsuit stems from an incident on Oct. 21, 2021, when an old-fashioned revolver Alec Baldwin was handling went off. Assistant director David Halls handed him the gun and said that it was “cold,” meaning that it didn’t contain live ammunition. But the revolver discharged in the direction of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed, and director Joel Souza, who was injured, while the actor was practicing a drawing maneuver.
In 2023, dolly operator Ross Addiego, set costumer Doran Curtin and key grip Reese Price sued Baldwin and the production companies behind Rust. They pointed to a disastrous safety culture on the set of the movie where producers allegedly shirked industry-wide norms related to the use of guns to shoot the film on a shoestring budget.
Such norms relate to safety protocols adopted by productions to protect cast and crew on films where firearms are being used. They prohibit the presence of live ammunition, which was allegedly barred on Bonanza Creek Ranch, the location of the Rust set. Also at issue: basic gun handling rules taught to actors that tell them to always treat a firearm as if it’s loaded and not to point it at anything they don’t intend to shoot.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Baldwin, whose involuntary manslaughter case was dismissed for misconduct by prosecutors, was widely criticized for neglecting to follow these guidelines. At least one other lawsuit has alleged that he wasn’t meant to pull the trigger of the gun during the scene that led to the fatal shooting.
The crew members faulted producers for the hiring of armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter last year. They said that she was chosen over more experienced firearm specialists to save money. Notably, Gutierrez-Reed split her time between armorer and key props assistant, allowing the production to pay one person to perform the jobs of two, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit also implicated Halls, who allegedly skipped required safety practices and rushed critical scenes involving firearms to finish filming the movie on a condensed schedule. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to settle a charge for negligent use of a deadly weapon and was ordered to six months of probation.
The crew members brought claims for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Rust was released on demand and in a limited number of theaters last month.
