‘Rust’ Script Supervisor’s Assault And Battery Suit Stripped Down By Judge; Alec Baldwin Seen As Responsible For On-Set Shooting

deadline.com:

Only Alec Baldwin is primarily responsible for the firing of the loaded gun on the Rust set last year that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Friday.“While [Rust script supervisor Mamie] Mitchell alleges that the producers assisted Baldwin by supplying the loaded weapon, Mitchell’s allegations fail to establish that the producers knew Baldwin would aim and fire the loaded weapon … such that they would be jointly liable for his intentional conduct,” Judge Michael E.

Whitaker said today in a tentative and now final ruling.Today’s hearing in downtown Los Angeles focused on Mitchell’s multi-claim lawsuit against defendants Rust Movie Productions LLC, Thomasville Pictures LLC and other producers of the indie Western pic.

In her action filed less than a month after the fatal shooting on the New Mexico set on October 21, 2021, Mitchell claimed that Rust producers, star/producer Baldwin and other crew members were distinctly negligent with safety and other regulations.Alec Baldwin Fatal ‘Rust’ Movie Shooting Probe Inches Forward As Feds Finish Forensic Reports; Still No Timeline On Possible ChargesHowever, a significant portion of the guts of her lawsuit were cut out by Whitaker today.“Mitchell’s allegations would show the opposite to be true: The only person who knew Baldwin was going to fire the weapon was Baldwin,” the judge wrote.

This ruling dismisses Mitchell’s claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress, as well as assault and battery against the Rust producers.