American actor Alec Baldwin, author of a fatal shooting on the set of the film
Rust
in 2021, is the subject of a complaint from the Ukrainian parents and the sister of his victim, announced Thursday the family lawyer .
On October 21, 2021, this filming on a ranch in New Mexico (southwest of the United States) had turned tragic when Alec Baldwin had activated a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets, but of which a very real projectile had killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, and injured director Joel Souza.
"Light of their life"
This rare news item had shocked Hollywood and had a strong impact, triggering calls to ban firearms on the sets, where the presence of live ammunition is in theory already prohibited.
Alec Baldwin is currently being prosecuted in New Mexico for manslaughter and faces a prison sentence, as is the film's gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
Separately, Halyna Hutchins' Ukrainian family has decided to file a civil lawsuit against the actor and the California-based production of the film in a Los Angeles court, their attorney Gloria Allred said.
“Halyna was the light of their life. (…) For our three clients, the tragic loss of their daughter and sister is heartbreaking”
, she declared during a press conference.
"But on top of this tragedy, they have to try to absorb this loss while living in Ukraine, in the midst of (Vladimir) Putin's war."
"Losing my sister (...) was a terrible experience
," Svetlana Zemko said in a video released Thursday.
"I believe giving up and letting this go unpunished is unacceptable."
Alec Baldwin, 64, best known for his role in the series
30 Rock
, has always claimed his innocence.
According to him, he was assured that his weapon was harmless, and he denies having pulled the trigger.
An assertion questioned by many experts.
Read alsoAlec Baldwin announces an agreement with the family of the victim who died on a set
In October, the actor announced that he had reached an agreement ending the civil lawsuits brought by Halyna Hutchins' widower, Matthew.
Its amount had not been disclosed, and the resumption of filming of
Rust
had been announced for early 2023, with Matthew Hutchins as executive producer.
"The agreement was for Matthew and his child"
and
"there was no agreement"
for the mother, father and sister of the deceased cinematographer, said Gloria Allred.
According to the lawyer, Alec Baldwin
“did not even contact them (…) to say he was sorry”.
"We want (...) that justice be done to them, it's as simple as that"
, she concluded.
