American actor-writer Alec Baldwin has hired former US assistant attorney Aaron Dyer to defend him in multiple lawsuits relating to the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
According to Variety, Baldwin is currently being sued by Rust’s script supervisor, gaffer and lighting technician, all in separate lawsuits over his role in the death of Hutchins who was shot and killed with a gun fired by the 30 Rock actor. The script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, is the latest crew member to file suit against Baldwin who she claims played “Russian roulette” by not personally checking if the gun was loaded.
In the suit, she claims that Baldwin “intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired a loaded gun” even though the upcoming scene “did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm”.Baldwin has told authorities that he had been told that the gun he was using in the scene was “cold” when in fact it was loaded with live ammunition.
Aaron Dyer served as US assistant attorney is Los Angeles for seven years prosecuting cases before returning to private practice in New York. He has previously represented high profile clients such as Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
No legal charges have yet been filed in relation to the death of Hutchins but prosecutors have said they are still investigating the incident.
On October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico, United States, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was wounded on the set of the film Rust by actor Alec Baldwin when he fired a revolver loaded with a live round, which had been provided to him as a prop. The weapon had not been thoroughly checked for safety in advance.
The incident is being investigated by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, and the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau. Production of the film was suspended indefinitely. The incident sparked a debate about occupational safety in the film industry, the treatment of its employees, and the use of real guns as props.
