Alec Baldwin's legal team slam prosecutor in Rust case
Alec Baldwin's legal team have accused the prosecutor in his involuntary manslaughter case of "continued abuse of the judicial process" and urged that her latest motion to revive the case be dismissed.
Alec Baldwin's legal team have accused the prosecutor in his involuntary manslaughter case of "continued abuse of the judicial process".
The 66-year-old actor was standing trial in July over the death of Halyna Hutchins - who was fatally shot on the set of 'Rust' in 2021 - when Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case after his legal team argued prosecutors had hidden evidence relating to the passing of the cinematographer, but Kari T. Morrissey then sought to have the charges revived a few weeks later.
While the judge dismissed the prosecutors request earlier this month, she filed an amended motion on the same day and Alec's team are now seeking to have that dropped too.
In documents filed on Friday (20.09.24) and obtained by People magazine, Alec's lawyers accused Kari of “continued abuse of the judicial process.”
They wrote: "She repeatedly violated the State's disclosure obligations, buried evidence, lied about it at trial, and then lied about her reasons for lying about it.
"Not only has the State failed to present any new information to warrant reconsideration, but the new information that has emerged since trial only underscores the strength and necessity of the Court's judgment.
"The Court should 'ensure the integrity of the judicial system and the efficient administration of justice' by striking and denying the State's motions."
The former '30 Rock' star's team insisted the court should strike the state's defective motion and the motion for reconsideration should be denied as the state's misconduct was "egregious".
They wrote: "The court should deny the State's Amended Motion, or in the alternative, strike the Amended Motion as untimely and award Baldwin attorneys' fees."
Alec was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury in January after the gun he was holding during a 2021 rehearsal on the set of ‘Rust’ discharged, killing Halyna and injuring the film’s director, Joel Souza.
The Hollywood star has subsequently maintained that he didn’t pull the trigger of the gun or know why it contained live ammunition.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armourer, was jailed for 18 months in April after being found guilty of charges connected to the incident.
‘Rust’ resumed filming and finished its shoot in May 2023, saying in an Instagram post marking its completion: "It’s been a long and difficult road. But we reach the end of the trail today."
