Alec Baldwin lawsuit claiming wrongful prosecution heads to federal court
Four years after the shooting of “Rust,” New Mexico authorities removed a lawsuit filed by Alec Baldwin alleging malicious prosecution to federal court.
This week’s filing is the latest development in the long legal saga following the on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
Baldwin, the 67-year-old producer and star of the Western film, was facing aggravated manslaughter charges for his role in the accidental shooting of Hutchins. But the judge presiding over Baldwin’s case abruptly dismissed the charge against him at his July 2024 trial after concluding that prosecutors had withheld evidence that could have helped his legal team.
Six months later, Baldwin filed a lawsuit against the New Mexico district attorney and special prosecutors, alleging malicious prosecution. The actor claimed celebrities were being made scapegoats due to intense media pressure on local authorities to solve the high-profile case.
His case targeted New Mexico special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey of the 1st Judicial District. Lawyer. Mary Carmack-Altwies and Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies, who are leading the investigation into Hutchins’ death.
The defendants denied Baldwin’s allegations.
Baldwin’s wrongful prosecution lawsuit was first filed in a New Mexico court in Santa Fe.
On Tuesday, the defendants, including Morrissey, exercised their legal right to move the case to federal court. Albuquerque attorney Luis Robles, who represented the defendants, said the decision was made in part because “Mr. Baldwin asserts federal civil rights claims in his case.”
Additionally, Baldwin does not live in New Mexico, where the lawsuit was filed.
Baldwin could appeal the move and petition to have it brought back to state court. His team was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
A New Mexico judge dismissed Baldwin’s malicious prosecution claims in July, citing no action in the case for 90 days. Baldwin’s legal team petitioned to reopen the case, and the judge granted the request.
This situation led the defendants to take action to take the case to a higher court.
During the trial in Santa Fe last year, Baldwin’s attorneys tried to shift the focus from whether Baldwin pulled the trigger of his gun during the accidental shooting to where the fatal shot occurred.
Baldwin’s attorneys have repeatedly accused law enforcement officials and prosecutors of bungling the case, including by claiming they concealed possible evidence from a cluster of bullets they say may have been related to the bullet that killed Hutchins.
