A judge has denied Alec Baldwin's motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him over the Rust shooting tragedy.
During a hearing on Wednesday, New Mexico's First Judicial District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid denied the actor's motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by crew members Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin, and Reese Price over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
Addiego, Curtin, and Price filed a civil complaint earlier this year against Baldwin and production companies El Dorado Pictures and Rust Movie Productions for "negligent and reckless conduct" on the film's set. They argued this conduct led to the death of Hutchins, who was killed when Baldwin's prop firearm discharged during a rehearsal for the movie.
According to Deadline, the judge also denied an additional motion to stay the civil matter until the criminal proceedings are over.
Admitting he "doesn't know" the state of "criminal prosecution with Mr Baldwin" in regards to the incident, the judge noted it was "surprisingly common" that a defendant would face both a civil and criminal case at once.
The plaintiffs' attorney Alex Cervantes claimed during the hearing that "there are a lot of moving parts" in the actor-producer's case. She also alleged that Rust executives decided to hire "inexperienced contractors" like armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on the film's set to "cut costs".
After the ruling, Baldwin's attorney Robert Schwartz called the decision a "real injustice" as the 65-year-old is "on the verge of being charged criminally".
The 30 Rock actor was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter over the incident but this was dropped in April. However, he may be charged once again as forensic tests on the firearm earlier this month refuted Baldwin's claim that he didn't pull the trigger.
Gutierrez-Reed will go on trial in February 2024 for involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering over the tragedy.
