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A gaffer who worked on the set of Rust has filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, assistant director Dave Halls, and the film's producers, following the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Director Joel Souza was injured in the accidental shooting.
Serge Svetnoy claims that he suffered from severe emotional distress following the shooting and blames the film's producers for negligence on the set. Svetnoy said that he was nearly struck by the bullet that killed Hutchins and struck Souza. He added that he was good friends with Hutchins and that he was one of the first people to attend to her after she was shot.
Svetnoy said Baldwin shares some of the blame for failing to double-check that the revolver was not loaded with live ammunition before handling the weapon while rehearsing a scene.
According to TMZ, the lawsuit states that Baldwin "owed a duty to the Plaintiff and other crew members and actors on the 'Rust' set to handle the Colt Revolver provided to him by defendant Halls with reasonable care and diligence for the safety of 'Rust' cast and crew."
"This duty called for Defendant Baldwin to double-check the Colt Revolver with Halls upon being handled to ensure that it did not contain live ammunition," the lawsuit continues.
The lawsuit also blames the producers for failing to hire enough people to ensure that the guns were properly handled.
"They attempted to save money by hiring an insufficient number of crew members to safely handle the props and firearms," the lawsuit says.
Svetnoy is seeking unspecified damages and is requesting a trial by jury.