Alec Baldwin is suing Santa Fe officials, claiming they maliciously prosecuted him and violated his civil rights when he filed criminal charges over the death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins on the set of the film Rust, which It was caused by accidental shooting.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit filed Monday in New Mexico federal court claims that prosecutors intentionally withheld key evidence to harm Baldwin and that they brought the charges for political purposes.
According to Baldwin, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis and Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey framed him by fabricating evidence and committing perjury. The lawsuit alleges that they sought to “scapegoat the actor at every turn” and also “maliciously conspired to delay or delay Baldwin’s trial and sentencing.”
The complaint comes after New Mexico’s chief prosecutor declined to bring an appeal of a judge’s decision dismissing involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin. According to the verdict, the prosecution had deliberately concealed important evidence and did not comply with discovery requirements. The court further noted that there were inconsistencies in Morrissey’s testimony regarding suppressed evidence.
Baldwin’s attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro say the political motivations of the prosecution violated his civil rights and harassed him. He said that prosecution “should be about the pursuit of truth and justice, not about personal or political gain or harassing the innocent.”
Nikas and Spiro said that Morrissey and other executives “repeatedly violated that basic principle and trampled on the rights of Alec Baldwin.” Other claims raised in the suit include defamation, malicious abuse of judicial process and tampering with evidence.
Also read: Alec Baldwin reflects on Rust shooting case’s dismissal and moving on: ‘Kind of wanna take a nap’
