Alec Baldwin is refusing to appear for a deposition next week, where he’s supposed to be questioned about the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust, Us Weekly can exclusively report.
On Wednesday, September 10, Baldwin’s legal team filed court docs objecting to the deposition scheduled by Serge Svetnoy, who was a gaffer on the 2024 western film.
In new court docs, Baldwin said Svetnoy planned to depose him on Friday, September 19. The actor said this conflicts with a previous agreed-upon arrangement for him to be deposed once and that transcript would be used for Svetnoy’s lawsuit and another pending lawsuit filed over the film in New Mexico.
Baldwin’s team told Svetnoy on August 28 that the scheduled deposition would not go forward. They explained the plaintiffs in the other case who are suing Baldwin did not agree to allow Baldwin to only be deposed once.
Therefore, the actor said he would not sit for any depositions until everyone agreed he only had to be questioned one time for both cases. Baldwin said once the court signs off on his request, he will schedule his deposition at a mutually convenient date and time.
Svetnoy filed suit in 2021 against Baldwin, 67, who was a producer on the film, and the other producers involved for emotional distress. He detailed how he watched his friend Hutchins die on October 21, 2021, after she was shot by a gun held by Baldwin that was not supposed to have real bullets in it.
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Baldwin denied all allegations of wrongdoing. He moved to dismiss the case.
He faced criminal charges over the incident, but the case was dropped in July 2024 due to alleged misconduct by prosecutors.In October 2024, a judge ruled Baldwin’s manslaughter case won’t be reopened despite pleas from prosecutors.
On social media, Svetnoy accused “negligence and unprofessionalism” of leading to Hutchins death. In his suit, Svetnory claimed he suffered “severe emotional distress” due to the bullet almost hitting him.
In response to the lawsuit, Baldwin’s lawyer wrote, “an accidental shooting took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a movie set just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She left behind a husband, Matthew Hutchins, and a son, who lived in California. They filed claims in New Mexico for wrongful death and loss of consortium.”
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Baldwin’s lawyer explained the actor reached a settlement with Hutchins’ husband.
His lawyer added, “That should have been the end of the matter. But it was not. Serge Svetnoy filed this lawsuit, alleging injuries based solely on his being close by when the prop gun went off and the live round — which should not have been in the gun and for which those responsible for it had just told Mr. Baldwin that it was unloaded — traveled in front of [Svetnoy].”
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Baldwin’s lawyer continued, “He sustained no physical injury. But he claims to have suffered mental anguish. That’s understandable. The same can be said for many people who were on the set that day.”
However, Baldwin denied he was liable for the alleged damages suffered.
