Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter ruled that the lawsuit brought by Rust gaffer Serge Svetnoy will proceed to trial, which is scheduled for October of this year. The civil trial will determine if Alec Baldwin negligently fired a loaded revolver on the Rust film set. The incident occurred on October 21, 2021, when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed during a rehearsal.
Rust's director, Joel Souza, was injured by the gunfire but survived the shooting. Serge Svetnoy is suing Alec Baldwin and Rust's production company for inflicting emotional distress due to alleged negligence. According to the lawsuit, Svetnoy heard a loud blast from the gunshot and felt a gust of air as it fired, but was not physically injured.
In his defense, Alec Baldwin has denied ever pulling the trigger before Hutchins was killed. Baldwin has maintained he had no idea the revolver he was handed on set was loaded with live rounds. Baldwin and the Rust team argued they were not responsible for the on-set shooting, claiming there was no evidence Baldwin intended to harm anyone on set.
Previously, a judge in New Mexico dismissed a manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin after determining prosecutors had allegedly withheld potentially exculpatory evidence. In the civil case, Judge Leiter threw out Serge Svetnoy's claim that he had been assaulted. However, the negligence case will proceed to trial as scheduled.