Lawyers for the family of Halyna Hutchins, the cameraman who was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie “Rest” last year, filed this week petition to appoint a representative for Hutchins’ estate, who will consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
Mrs. Hutchins was killed when the old-fashioned revolver Mr. Baldwin was practicing on the film set in New Mexico, which he was told contained no live ammunition, fired a live bullet and hit her and the film’s director, Joel Souza. , who survived.
According to the petition, filed Wednesday in state court in New Mexico, lawyers for the widower and son of Ms. Hutchins asked the court to appoint Kristina Martinez, a Santa Fe attorney, to represent the cameraman’s estate “for the sole purpose of investigating and prosecuting a lawsuit under the New Mexico Wrongful Death Act.” The court has not specified who will be named as a defendant if a lawsuit is filed.
Ms Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins and her 9-year-old son both support the petition to name a representative of Ms Hutchins’ estate, the filing said.
Randi McGinn, an attorney representing the Hutchinses, said the process of appointing a representative was specific to a state law in New Mexico. Under the statute, any money awarded in the lawsuit would be split between Mr. Hutchins and his son, she said.
Ms. Hutchins, who was 42 and originally from Ukraine, was an up-and-coming camerawoman who was described by friends as talented, lively and deeply committed to her job.
In the wake of the deadly shooting on October 21, several members of the film crew have filed lawsuits against Mr. Baldwin and others involved in the production. Mr Baldwin, who starred in the western and was also a producer on it, claimed in a television interview that he was not responsible for the fatal shooting and said he failed to pull the trigger, suggesting the gun could have gone off. after withdrawing the hammer. His lawyers filed a motion Monday calling for the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against him by the film’s script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell.
New Mexico officials are still investigating how a sharp bullet ended up on set and then into the gun Mr. Baldwin was practicing, and whether anyone should be held criminally responsible.