Los Angeles, Nov 18 (IANS) The script supervisor on ‘Rust’ has filed a lawsuit against Hollywood veteran Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers on Wednesday, claiming she suffered both “physical and emotional” injuries when the actor shot the film’s cinematographer while preparing for a scene.
Mamie Mitchell filed the suit in the Los Angeles Superior Court and is represented by attorney Gloria Allred. In the complaint, she says she was standing just four feet from Baldwin when the gun went off, reports variety.com.
“Plaintiff was terrified and feared for her life,” the suit states.
“The gunshot caused Plaintiff to experience pain in her ears and head and, shortly thereafter, Plaintiff began to hear loud ringing in her ears. Soon after, Plaintiff witnessed the horror of what had occurred.”
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by the gunshot, and the director, Joel Souza, was wounded in the shoulder.
The suit claims that Baldwin should have checked the gun to make sure it was unloaded and also accused the producers of cost-cutting measures that led to the incident.
The lawsuit also cites a text message from the film’s camera operator, in which he complained of two accidental discharges on set prior to the October 21 shooting.
Mitchell was the first to call 911 after the incident.
“I’ll never forget what happened on the set of ‘Rust’ that day,” Mitchell said at a press conference at Allred’s office. “This violent tragedy has taken away the joy of my life… I never want what happened on our set to ever happen to anyone else.”
The suit is the second to be filed in the ‘Rust’ tragedy. Serge Svetnoy, the film’s gaffer, filed a separate claim last week, stating that he, too, was in close proximity to Baldwin when the shot was fired and also suffered physical and emotional harm.
Mitchell’s suit states claims of assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and deliberate infliction of harm.
In addition to Baldwin and the film’s producers, the suit also names several crew members as defendants, including armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed and first assistant director Dave Halls.
The producers and executive producers named in the suit are Ryan Donnell Smith, Allen Cheney, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Matt DelPiano, Anjul Nigam, Emily Salveson, Jennifer Lamb and Chris M.B. Sharp.
The production had a liability insurance policy through Chubb with a $6 million limit, according to a certificate filed with the local film office.
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