Rust assistant director Dave Halls is moving to shield himself from legal trouble over his role in the on-set shooting that resulted in the death and injury of two crewmembers.
Halls countersued Alec Baldwin and other crew members, arguing that it was their “active and primary negligence” that caused the incident. The suit comes on the heels of another countersuit filed by Baldwin in November blaming Halls, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, prop master Sarah Zachry and ammunition supplier Seth Kenney for the shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Halls’ complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday was brought as part of sprawling litigation started by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, who sued Baldwin along with 22 other producers, production companies, financiers and crew members after a loaded gun was fired on set, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. She details a disastrous safety culture on the set of Rust where producers shirked industry-wide norms related to the use of guns to shoot the film on a shoestring budget.
If Mitchell prevails in her lawsuit, Halls argues that Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed, Zachry and Kenney should be held liable for his apportionment of the fault. He seeks a court order entitling him to compensation from them if he’s found liable for her injuries.
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