A lawsuit against Alec Baldwin alleging wrongful prosecution is headed to federal court
Four years after “Rust” was filmed, officials in New Mexico have moved Alec Baldwin’s lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution to federal court.
This week’s filing is the latest development in the long-running legal saga following the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins.
Baldwin, the 67-year-old star and producer of the Western film, was facing a manslaughter charge for his role in the accidental shooting of Hutchins. But the judge overseeing Baldwin’s case suddenly dismissed the charge against him during his trial in July 2024 after concluding that prosecutors withheld evidence that might have been useful to his legal team.
Six months later, Baldwin filed suit against the New Mexico Attorney General and private prosecutors, asserting malicious prosecution. The actor claimed that he had become a celebrity scapegoat due to intense media pressure on local authorities to resolve this high-profile case.
His lawsuit targeted New Mexico Special Attorney Carrie T. Morrissey, 1st Judicial District. Atty. Mary Carmack Altwis and Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies, who led 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 have the case referred to federal court. Albuquerque attorney Luis Robles, who represents the defendants, said the decision was made in part because “Mr. Baldwin made federal civil rights claims in his lawsuit.”
Additionally, Baldwin does not live in New Mexico, where the case was filed.
Baldwin could object to the move and petition to have it returned to state court. His team could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
A New Mexico judge dismissed Baldwin’s malicious prosecution claims in July, citing 90 days of inactivity in the case. Baldwin’s legal team filed a motion to reinstate the case and a judge granted the request.
This prompted the defendants to transfer the case to the Supreme Court.
During his trial in Santa Fe last year, Baldwin’s lawyers sought to shift the focus from whether Baldwin had pulled the trigger of his gun in the accidental shooting to where the fatal bullet came from.
Baldwin’s lawyers have repeatedly accused law enforcement officers and prosecutors of botching the case, including hiding potential evidence — a cluster of bullets they said may have been linked to the one that killed Hutchins.