Rust Settlement With Halyna Hutchins’s Family Approved

Halyna Hutchins. Photo: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images

A judge approved a settlement in the wrongful-death lawsuit between the embattled film Rust and the family of Halyna Hutchins on June 1, the BBC reports. The late cinematographer died on set of the upcoming Western in October 2021 after being shot by a gun held by the film’s lead actor and producer Alec Baldwin. Director Joel Souza was also struck and sustained nonfatal injuries. Hutchins’s husband, Matthew, and son, Andros, sued Baldwin and other Rust producers in 2022 following the fatal incident and agreed to settle all claims against defendants later the same year. Judge Bryan Biedscheid approved the undisclosed agreement on June 1, which includes “periodic payments” for Andros that will occur when he reaches ages 18 and 22. The order described the agreement as “fair, appropriate, and in the best interests of Andros Hutchins, a minor, protected person,” per the BBC. A civil suit filed by the Rust crew over the allegedly “super unsafe” set is still pending, along with a separate suit filed by Hutchins’s mother, father, and sister. Meanwhile, the latest settlement comes after New Mexico dropped criminal charges against Baldwin, who pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. Rust finished filming in May, without the use of working weapons.