Alec Baldwin sues prosecutors, investigators alleging malicious prosecution

Actor Alec Baldwin filed a lawsuit Thursday against prosecutors and law enforcement officers alleging he was maliciously prosecuted for a 2021 shooting death on the “Rust” movie set.

The 73-page lawsuit alleges that prosecutors and investigators “sought at every turn to scapegoat Baldwin” for the 2021 death of “Rust” cinematographer, 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins.

The suit was filed in 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, where a judge last summer threw out the involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin after finding that prosecutors withheld evidence from his defense team.

Baldwin alleges that prosecutors and investigators “were motivated by evil motive or intent and involved a reckless or callous indifference to Baldwin’s constitutionally protected rights.”

Among those named as defendants are Kari Morrissey, an Albuquerque attorney who served as special prosecutor in the case, and 1st Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies.

Morrissey said in a written statement that prosecutors became aware that Baldwin "intended to file a retaliatory civil lawsuit" as early as October 2023.

"This was three months before Mr. Baldwin was indicted by the grand jury" in January 2024, Morrissey said. "We look forward to our day in court."

Carmack-Altwies did not immediately return phone messages left at her office this week.

The lawsuit also names as defendants Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office investigators and the Santa Fe County Board of Commissioners.

“From the moment defendants and their agents set foot on the scene of the incident, it should have been apparent that Baldwin had no culpability,” the suit contends.

“Defendants must now be held accountable for their malicious and unlawful pursuit of Baldwin,” it said. “Alec Baldwin has filed this action to hold defendants responsible for their appalling violations of the laws that governed their work.”

The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined by a jury at trial.

The suit alleges that Morrissey “wanted to teach Baldwin ‘a lesson’” because she considered him “arrogant” and manipulated the evidence she presented and withheld at his trial.

“Most notably, it included certain defendants’ intentional concealment of exculpatory evidence and then lying from the witness stand during trial about their cover-up,” the suit alleges.

The criminal case against Baldwin collapsed on July 12 when defense attorneys demanded that prosecutors produce ammunition that an Arizona man turned over in March to the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office.

Baldwin’s attorneys alleged that prosecutors and investigators “hid” evidence that could have helped prove Baldwin’s innocence.

First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer found that prosecutors withheld evidence from Baldwin’s attorneys and threw out the criminal charge.

Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the movie, was rehearsing a scene on the set at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021, when the gun he was holding discharged, fatally shooting Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who loaded the bullets into the gun Baldwin was holding, was convicted on March 6 of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. She was sentenced in April to 18 months in prison.

Editors note: This story was edited to include a response from Morrissey after publication in the print edition.