Alec Baldwin Santa Fe, New Mexico, officials are suing after a judge dismissed the manslaughter case against him for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halina Hutchins during the filming of “Rust.”
On Thursday, the 66-year-old actor filed a 73-page civil rights lawsuit in the 1st Judicial District Court of Santa Fe against special prosecutor Carrie Morrissey, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack Althuis as well as other officials and investigators in the case.
In documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Baldwin accuses the defendants of civil rights violations, including malicious prosecution, abuse of process, and defamation, among other allegations.
The lawsuit alleged that the defendants intentionally concealed exculpatory evidence and extracted false testimony while pursuing the case. Prosecutors “sought at every turn to make Baldwin a scapegoat for the actions and omissions of others, regardless of the evidence or the law,” the documents stated.
Alec Baldwin is suing for malicious prosecution and defamation after a judge dismissed the manslaughter case against him over the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halina Hutchins during the filming of “Rust.” (Ramsay de Jeff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
“The defendants, while acting under the banner of law, conspired to obtain a baseless indictment against Baldwin and to maliciously advance or advance the prosecution and conviction of Baldwin, thereby violating Baldwin's constitutional rights through their improper use of the criminal process,” the lawsuit alleged.
Baldwin requests a jury trial and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office for comment.
The lawsuit named Special Prosecutor Carrie Morrissey as one of the defendants. (Courtesy of New Mexico Courts)
The lawsuit comes after Morrissey withdrew The state's notice of appeal was filed against Baldwin last month.
The move to drop the appeal reinforced Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer's decision midway through the trial to dismiss the case based on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
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At the time, Baldwin's lawyers, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas, issued a joint statement with The Hollywood Reporter.
“Today's decision to dismiss the appeal is the final affirmation of what Alec Baldwin and his attorneys have said from the beginning – this was an unspeakable tragedy, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime. The rule of law will remain intact in New Mexico,” the statement read. He reads.
The lawsuit alleged that the defendants, including Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack Altwiss, intentionally concealed exculpatory evidence and extracted perjury while prosecuting the case. (Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
In July, Sommer was fired The manslaughter case against the “30 Rock” star after ruling that the prosecution concealed evidence from his legal team.
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“The state’s deliberate withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” Sommer said. “If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so close to bad faith as to show signs of vitriolic bias.”
In October, Sommer upheld her decision to dismiss the case.
Halena Hutchins was shot while “Rust” cast members were reviewing a church scene on set at Bonanza Creek Ranch. (AP Photo/Jay Si Hong)
Hutchins died shortly after being injured during rehearsal for the film “Rust” in October 2021 at a film ranch outside of Santa Fe.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer, was pointing a gun at Hutchins when he fired, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin said he pulled the hammer — but not the trigger — and the gun fired.
The first-time Emmy winner was charged with manslaughter in January 2023.
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In March, Rust gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reid was convicted of loading a live round into the gun. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Fox News Digital's Janelle Ash and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
