Alec Baldwin Sues 'Rust' Crew Members In An Attempt To Clear His Name

Alec Baldwin is not to blame for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. According to Alec Baldwin anyway. Who the blame should fall on has yet to be settled and prosecutors are still determining whether or not charges should be filed.

Baldwin is pointing the finger at four "Rust" crew members. The actor, who fatally shot the 42-year-old mother last October during an on-set rehearsal, filed a cross-complaint on Friday claiming he has been wrongfully blamed for Hutchins's death.

Alec Baldwin is seen in a cafe with Italian producer Andrea Iervolino (Photo by MEGA/GC Images)

Baldwin is listed as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by "Rust" script supervisor Mamie Mitchell. In his cross-complaint he places the blame on armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, armorer assistant Seth Kenney, and the prop weapon company Kenney owns. He also names assistant director David Halls and prop master Sarah Zachry.

The cross-complaint seeks to clear Baldwin's name as well as a share of damages that Mitchell may win from the four people he named. It also asks that they pay for any damages assessed against him.

Alec Baldwin Is Doing Alec Baldwin Things

Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas said in the suit, "There can be no doubt that others have suffered from Cross-Defendants’ negligence far more than Baldwin has."

"Though by no means comparable, Baldwin must live with the immense grief, and the resulting emotional, physical, and financial toll, caused by the fact that Cross-Defendants' negligent conduct, assurances, and supervision put a loaded weapon in his hand and led him, Hutchins, and everyone else on set to believe that his directed use of the weapon was safe," Nikas continued.

"More than anyone else on that set, Baldwin has been wrongfully viewed as the perpetrator of this tragedy. By these Cross-Claims, Baldwin seeks to clear his name and hold Cross-Defendants accountable for their misconduct."

The cross-complaint comes weeks after Baldwin settled a wrongful-death lawsuit with Hutchins' family. And his completely tone-deaf Instagram post on the anniversary of Halyna's death.

There's plenty of blame to go around here. There were failures on multiple levels that contributed to the shooting. But seemingly not taking any responsibility for the unfortunate death isn't a good look. Even for Alec Baldwin.

Filming for the movie is set to resume in January 2023. It appears that the court battles could continue through that time as well.