Halyna Hutchins’ lawyer has branded Alec Baldwin’s actions ‘shameful’ after the Rust actor and producer claimed the cinematographer told him how to hold the gun on set before she was shot and killed.
The actor has only been seen publicly a handful of times since he was accused of firing the gun in the fatal tragedy.
However, his lawyers recently filed an arbitration claim to shield Baldwin from any financial responsibility in connection with Hutchins’ death.
Responding, Hutchins’ lawyer Brian Panish said (via Deadlne): ‘Alec Baldwin once again is trying to avoid liability and accountability for his reckless actions before and on Oct 21st that resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins, as demonstrated by today’s arbitration demand for indemnification from the Rust production company.
‘Baldwin’s disclosure of personal texts with Matt Hutchins is irrelevant to his demand for arbitration and fails to demonstrate anything other than Hutchins’ dignity in his engagement with Baldwin.’
He added: ‘It is shameful that Baldwin claims Hutchins’ actions in filing a wrongful death lawsuit derailed the completion of Rust. The only action that ended the film’s production was Baldwin’s killing of Halyna Hutchins.’
The documents filed by Baldwin’s lawyers claim that Hutchins herself told the actor how to position the gun: ‘She directed Baldwin to hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her. She was looking carefully at the monitor and then at Baldwin, and then back again, as she gave these instructions.’
They added: ‘In giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was “cold” and contained no live rounds.’
Additionally, the attorneys say Baldwin asked Hutchins if she wanted him to pull back the hammer, adding that Hutchins responded in agreement.
Elsewhere in the docs, there’s reference to Baldwin’s interactions with Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, whom he met with shortly after the shooting.
The 63-year-old’s lawyers claim, when a bereaved Hutchins hugged Baldwin, he told the actor: ‘I guess we’re going to go through this together.’
Matthew and his son are now suing Baldwin, and others, for wrongful death, with Baldwin’s document insisting it is not the actor’s responsibility to check the gun for live ammunition.
Because of Baldwin’s executive producer title on the project, lawyers say his contract means he must offer compensation for the loss and harm caused.
However, Baldwin’s representatives say the Hollywood star was just a creative executive producer.
Following the tragic incident, Baldwin initially said that his ‘heart was broken’, although in an interview conducted with ABC News in December, he said that he felt he wasn’t responsible for what happened.
‘Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but it’s not me,’ he told news reporter George Stephanopoulos at the time.
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Alec Baldwin for comment.
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