Alec Baldwin's Legal Team Prepares Lawsuit Against Santa Fe Sheriff and Prosecutor Over Withheld Evidence

Alec Baldwin’s legal team has indicated plans to sue Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza and prosecutor Kari Morrissey after it was revealed they withheld critical evidence during Baldwin's trial for the on-set shooting death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
In preservation notices obtained by Rolling Stone, Baldwin’s attorneys warned both Mendoza and Morrissey of “future litigation” due to their actions during the involuntary manslaughter trial. The notices require both parties to “preserve all relevant information” including “devices, hard drives, emails, text messages, and other electronic communications” related to the case. This encompasses “all communications between and among anyone at the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and/or the Special Prosecutor’s Office related to the Incident,” as well as all “documents, communications, and information referencing or relating to Mr. Baldwin.”
The notices also caution that failure to comply could result in “serious consequences, including civil liability, court sanctions, and adverse evidentiary inferences in any subsequent proceeding.”
In a surprising turn of events, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed Baldwin's case, citing the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and Morrissey’s failure to disclose key evidence regarding the source of the live round that killed Hutchins on October 21, 2021. Hutchins was fatally shot while preparing for a scene inside the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico. Baldwin was practicing a cross draw with a pistol when it accidentally discharged, striking Hutchins fatally and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin, aged 66, along with the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, faced involuntary manslaughter charges for the incident.

Gutierrez-Reed, found guilty in a separate trial, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in March. Following the dismissal of Baldwin’s case, her legal team is seeking to overturn her conviction, citing similar prosecutorial misconduct. In a motion filed Tuesday, attorney Jason Bowles asserted that substantial evidence, undisclosed before the trial, had come to light. Bowles has also requested that Gutierrez-Reed be released from prison and called for the removal of special prosecutor Kari Morrissey due to alleged misconduct. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has continued to support Morrissey despite these allegations.

Though Baldwin’s criminal charges have been dismissed, he is not entirely free of legal battles. Civil lawsuits from Hutchins' family remain pending. Gloria Allred, representing Hutchins' parents and sister, emphasized that the judge's decision to dismiss the case does not exonerate Baldwin. “The judge's decision is in no way, shape, or form an exoneration of him,” Allred stated. “It does not change the fact that Alec Baldwin killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of 'Rust.' He fired a loaded gun while pointing it at a human being.”

At a press conference on Saturday, Allred reiterated her commitment to seeking justice for Hutchins, vowing “to fight to the end for Halyna Hutchins.” Despite the case dismissal, the ongoing civil litigation ensures that Baldwin remains entangled in the legal ramifications of the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set.

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