'Rust' shooting: Alec Baldwin lawyers up after being hit with lawsuits

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Alec Baldwin has hired attorney Aaron S. Dyer of New York-based law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman after being targeted by multiple lawsuits for his involvement in the “Rust” set shooting, Fox News Digital has confirmed. 

The news comes after Baldwin was targeted by lawsuits filed by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell and gaffer Serge Svetnoy.

Alec Baldwin has hired an attorney after being hit with multiple lawsuits over his involvement in the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust."
(Fox News Digital)

Baldwin was handed a Colt revolver by assistant director Dave Halls while rehearsing a scene for the indie-western on Oct. 21. Baldwin fired the gun, which was loaded with a live round that discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza

Mitchell is claiming assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and deliberate infliction of harm in her lawsuit.

Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while rehearsing a scene for the film.
(Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)

The lawsuit claimed that Baldwin “intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired a loaded gun” even though the upcoming scene “did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm.” The lawsuit also claimed Baldwin pointed and fired the gun at Hutchins, Joel Souza and Mitchell even though that was against protocol.

Svetnoy’s lawsuit also noted that Baldwin was only supposed to have pointed the gun at the camera and not anyone else. Svetnoy claimed Baldwin “owed a duty” to the gaffer and other crew members to handle the gun as he would a loaded weapon.

He claimed he was hit by “discharge materials” and “suffered injury, including severe emotional distress, as a direct and proximate result of the incident.”

Hutchins’ husband recently shared a photograph of the cinematographer’s tombstone as the family prepared a private ceremony to honor her memory. 

Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell and gaffer Serge Svetnoy have both filed lawsuits against Baldwin, producers and others.
(Sven Doornlkaat/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

“Halyna was the love of my life, and our loss of her has devastated our family’s dreams. We feel the silence of her being forever gone as a suffocating stillness in our home,” Matt Hutchins said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. 

“Our love and adoration for her grows as we tell her story, and we hope her work can inspire filmmakers and storytellers around the world. We thank the many generous supporters who have been so thoughtful in our time of loss.”

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