Summary of this article
Civil lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin over the 2021 Rust film.
He will face a trial in October this year.
Baldwin has been accused of allegedly negligently firing a gun on the set of the film, killing the cinematographer.
Actor Alec Baldwin will face a civil trial in October over alleged negligence on the Rust set in 2021, a judge ordered on Friday (April 17, 2026). Baldwin was accused of acting negligently after firing a loaded gun on the set, killing the film's cinematographer.
Alec Baldwin to face civil trial
The incident dates back to October 21, 2021, when Baldwin was rehearsing a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County. During the rehearsals, a prop revolver he was holding killed Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and left director Joel Souza wounded.
Serge Svetnoy, a gaffer on Rust, first filed a lawsuit in November that year alleging that he narrowly escaped being hit while on set that day. He claimed that armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and other producers “were consciously aware of the wrongfulness and harmfulness of their conduct.”
Baldwin said he had no idea the gun was loaded and he did not pull the trigger.
The gaffer claimed that he suffered from emotional distress due to negligence on the part of Baldwin and the production house.
Neither Baldwin nor Rust Movie Productions, the production house behind the film, have responded to the judge’s ruling.
Variety report states that in his ruling, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter rejected defence arguments from Rust Movie Productions and Baldwin.
“A reasonable jury could find that Mr. Baldwin recklessly disregarded the probability that pointing a gun in the direction of someone, with the finger on the trigger, would cause emotional distress,” the judge wrote in his order.
“Mr. Baldwin is the last line of defence,” argued John Upton, Svetnoy’s attorney, and added, “Guns generally do not shoot themselves.”
After the hearing, Upton said, “We’re pleased with the court’s decision. And we’ll see where it goes from here.”
The trial will start on October 12, 2026. “I’m a little concerned about this case going on and on and on when it should be coming to a resolution,” the judge said.
