Alec Baldwin Rust lawsuit: Major blow as 3 prosecutors win

A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a large part of the Alec Baldwin Rust lawsuit against the prosecutors who pursued an involuntary manslaughter case against him, ruling that they are protected by prosecutorial immunity.

U.S. District Judge Kea Riggs wrote that Baldwin’s misconduct allegations paint a “very disturbing picture,” but she concluded that special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and the other prosecutors are still shielded from liability for their work as prosecutors, Variety reported.

What the Alec Baldwin Rust lawsuit claims

Baldwin filed the civil rights suit last year. He claims he was the target of a prosecution that spun out of control in its effort to convict him over the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot on the New Mexico set of the Western “Rust.”

Along with Morrissey, the suit named Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and Andrea Reeb, who was first appointed special prosecutor before stepping away from the case.

Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial ended abruptly in July 2024, when the judge dismissed the charge after finding that Morrissey had withheld evidence from the defense. In the civil case, Baldwin argues that was only one piece of a wider pattern. He accuses prosecutors of giving the grand jury false information, keeping two firearms reports from the defense and filing an improper gun enhancement.

Why the judge ruled for the prosecutors

Riggs acknowledged how serious the accusations are but found that absolute prosecutorial immunity still applies.

“Sometimes, it is better to leave unredressed the wrongs done by an allegedly dishonest prosecutor than to subject those who try to do their duty to the constant dread of retaliation,” she wrote. “This is one of those times. The doctrine of absolute prosecutorial immunity is worthwhile only if it applies to hard cases, occasionally shielding acts of gross misconduct.”

Which Alec Baldwin Rust lawsuit claims survive

The ruling doesn’t end the case. Prosecutors can still be sued when they act as investigators rather than advocates, and the state did not ask the court to toss allegations tied to Morrissey’s statements to the media. It also didn’t seek dismissal of claims that she agreed to log a batch of ammunition under a different case number, effectively hiding it from Baldwin’s defense.

“Accordingly, any claims based on these allegations survive this stage of litigation,” Riggs wrote. Baldwin’s lawyers have said Morrissey would remain a defendant even if every motion to dismiss were granted.

The Alec Baldwin Rust lawsuit has already taken a winding path. A state judge dismissed it last year after a long stretch of inactivity, but Baldwin refiled it, and the case was then moved to federal court, where the state asked to dismiss it on immunity grounds.

What’s next for the Alec Baldwin Rust lawsuit

Baldwin has also sued Santa Fe County and several sheriff’s investigators under New Mexico and federal civil rights law. The county has filed its own motions to dismiss those claims, and Riggs has not yet ruled on them. That decision will help determine how much of the case moves forward.

Baldwin, a member of one of Hollywood’s best-known acting families, is also fighting a separate civil suit in Los Angeles. In April, a judge allowed “Rust” gaffer Serge Svetnoy’s negligence and emotional distress claims against Baldwin to go to trial, which was set for Oct. 12 if no settlement is reached, NBC News reported. Baldwin has denied that conditions on the set were unsafe.

For more coverage of courts and true crime, visit our Special Interests section and celebrity news.

Reporting from Variety and NBC News contributed to this story.

Featured image: Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)