Solomon: Lawyers for Hutchins' Family Have Brutal Surprise for Baldwin – Wait Until a Jury Sees It

On Tuesday, 🎬Alec Baldwin was sued by the husband and son of Halyna Hutchins for her wrongful death. The legal claim paints a picture of a negligent Baldwin running a dangerous film set, far more intent on cutting costs than keeping people safe.

As NPR reported, this isn’t the first lawsuit filed regarding the events of the fateful day Baldwin shot and killed Hutchins, the cinematographer on the movie “Rust.” Suits have already been filed by the film’s script supervisor and lead camera operator. The film’s armorer, a defendant in those suits, has filed her own lawsuit, claiming that an ammunition provider created dangerous conditions by including a live round.

It is important to understand that Hutchins’ family is bringing a civil, not a criminal lawsuit. The purpose of a civil suit is to recover money as compensation for things such as medical costs and lost income.

Many observers were surprised that Baldwin was not criminally charged in Hutchins’ death. Yet a close reading of the relevant New Mexico law (the site of the film set) suggested that the limitations of the state’s criminal statutes were behind the hesitancy of authorities to charge Baldwin with a crime.

David Gelman, a New Jersey criminal defense lawyer, explained that even though Baldwin hasn’t been charged with a criminal offense, this is in no way a bar to a civil suit: “It isn’t uncommon for someone to be sued for wrongful death in a civil action if they have either not been charged or were charged and found to be not guilty in a criminal trial.”

The lawsuit