Halyna Hutchins' Estate Is Preparing A Massive Wrongful Death Suit In Rust Shooting Case
The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was killed on the set of the film "Rust," just took one step closer toward filing a wrongful death lawsuit over the famed, fatal incident.
Hutchins died in October 2021, after a prop gun wielded by Alec Baldwin seemingly discharged a round of live ammunition, hitting both Hutchins and director Joel Souza, the latter of whom survived his injuries. Then, in November of 2021, news dropped that Hutchins' husband Matthew Hutchins, who himself is a lawyer by profession, hired another lawyer named Brian Panish from a Los Angeles-based law firm that specializes in wrongful death cases. At that time, the nature of their business was kept from the public, though given the circumstances, it seemed apparent that their partnership concerned the "Rust" incident.
Now, as of January 2022, Matthew Hutchins seems to be making some new headway in initiating a wrongful death lawsuit.
The estate of Halyna Hutchins is petitioning for representation in New Mexico
According to a report by Deadline, a lawyer named Kristina Martinez recently filed a petition in the state of New Mexico — where the production of "Rust" took place — to represent the estate of Halyna Hutchins. The article notes that this is a necessary prerequisite for filing a wrongful death lawsuit in New Mexico. The petition, which Deadline shared in full, claims the support of Hutchins' husband Matthew, as well as their son Aldous, in pursuing legal action. This therefore seems to be the next step for Matthew Hutchins after hiring lawyer Brian Panish some months prior.
While Baldwin pulled the trigger that discharged the fatal bullet, Hutchins' father publicly stated that he doesn't find Baldwin to be at fault. Rather, he laid blame with the armory team, explaining that the safety of any weapons used on set should be their responsibility first and foremost. It's possible, then, that the upcoming lawsuit in New Mexico, should the petition go through, will pursue a similar line of inquiry.
Given the methodical rate at which lawsuits typically proceed, it may be some time before more details about the Hutchins estate's ongoing wrongful death case surface.