“Rust” gaffer Serge Svetnoy held a press conference on Wednesday with his new attorney, Gary A. Dordick, to explain why he filed a lawsuit in California after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died on the movie’s set.
Svetnoy, who was the head electrician on the Western film, is suing actor/producer alec-baldwin” target=”_blank”>Alec Baldwin<, assistant director Dave Halls, and many others for “severe emotional distress,” in docs obtained by Fox News.
Dordick told reporters that the movie’s producers “were cutting too many corners to save money” and that negligence on set led to Hutchins’ death.
The attorney called Baldwin’s actions on set “reckless and irresponsible.” He was referring to the actor pointing the gun during a scene rehearsal and pulling the trigger. Dordick claimed Baldwin should not have assumed the gun was safe and checked it himself. According to affidavits, Baldwin was told the gun was cold or “unloaded” by Halls.
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Dordick then questioned why there was live ammo was on a movie set.
Svetnoy, who used a Russian translator, claimed he saw weapons laying around unsupervised and told the armorer, Gutierrez-Reed. He also alleged he saw the Gutierrez-Reed walk around the New Mexico set with guns in her belt sometime before the incident occurred. He claims he warned the armorers to stop being careless.
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Dordick said it was not Svetnoy’s responsibility to manage the armorers and they should take their job more seriously. He said Gutierrez-Reed “failed at [her] job miserably.”
Svetvoy told reporters he’s worked in the movie industry for years and the behavior he witnessed on “Rust” was unacceptable from the start. He only took the job because of his close friendship with Hutchins even though the pay was terrible.
This aerial photo shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun on the set of a Western being filmed at the ranch on Thursday, Oct. 21, killing Halyna Hutchins.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong | Photo by Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie)
At one point, he recalled holding Hutchins after she was shot. “I tried to save her life. I just hold her,” he said. Svetnoy said he hopes the lawsuit can change industry standards.
On Oct. 21, Baldwin fatally shot Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza while rehearsing a scene on the New Mexico set.
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Souza said three people were handling the gun for the scene in a statement to police obtained by Fox News. Armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed reportedly handled prop guns left on a cart outside the structure they were shooting in due to infectious-disease restrictions. Assistant director Dave Halls handed one of those guns to Baldwin.
Alec Baldwin’s tweet after the "Rust" movie shooting.
(Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican | Twitter)
Per Santa Fe court docs, Halls announced that it was a “cold gun” before giving it to Baldwin, lingo meaning that the firearm was unloaded. Souza and the camera operator Reid Russell noted that cameras were not rolling at the time as they were still setting up the shots.
Souza was not sure if the gun was checked again when everyone returned from lunch. However, he stated that firearms are supposed to be checked by the armorer followed by the assistant director before handing them to the actor.
Alec Baldwin was handed the firearm by assistant director Dave Halls, who believed there was no ammunition loaded, per law enforcement.
(IMDB | Getty)
Souza said he was not sure if people were checked for live ammunition on their person, but stated that live ammunition should not have been anywhere near the scene.
A week after the shooting, Baldwin told reporters in Vermont he is fully cooperating with police. No charges or arrests have been made yet.
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Attorneys for Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed, and Halls did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
In previous statements, attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed and Halls denied any wrongdoing.
Fox News’ Constance Harcourt contributed to this report.
