Alec Baldwin: I Can't Be Sued Over Fatal Shooting

Alec Baldwin's lawyers have made a new filing in the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Haylna Hutchins, and they argue that the actor is protected from liability because of a clause in his contract, per the Hollywood Reporter. Baldwin makes the case that he was a producer on the movie Rust only in a creative sense and that the other producers are responsible for any legal damages or fees that might result. The filing also provides what the New York Times describes as the most detailed account to date of how Baldwin came to accidentally shoot Hutchins:

• Hutchins "directed Baldwin to hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her,” reads the filing. “She was looking carefully at the monitor and then at Baldwin, and then back again, as she gave these instructions. In giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was ‘cold’ and contained no live rounds.”
• At that point, Baldwin asked her if he should pull back the hammer, and she said yes, according to the filing. “Baldwin then pulled back the hammer, but not far enough to actually cock the gun,” it reads. “When Baldwin let go of the hammer, the gun went off.”
• “Someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin,” reads the filing.

(More Alec Baldwin stories.)