Alec Baldwin Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Santa Fe Officials Over ‘Rust’ Prosecution

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Alec Baldwin has filed a civil rights suit against the district attorney and other officials in Santa Fe, N.M., alleging that he was wrongfully prosecuted for manslaughter in the accidental shooting of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

In the 73-page complaint, Baldwin accuses D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, and investigators on the case of a series of abuses, including eliciting false testimony and withholding exculpatory evidence. “Defendants, while acting under the color of law, conspired to procure a groundless indictment against Baldwin and to maliciously bring about or advance Baldwin’s trial and conviction, thus violating Baldwin’s constitutional rights by their improper use of the criminal process,” the lawsuit states.

Baldwin filed the suit two weeks after the state attorney general refused to pursue an appeal of a judge’s order dismissing the case, thus ending the prosecution.

Among the defendants are the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Santa Fe County Board of Commissioners. “Criminal prosecutions are supposed to be about the search for truth and justice, not to pursue personal or political gain or harass the innocent,” said Baldwin’s lawyers, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas, in a statement. “Kari Morrissey and the other defendants violated that basic principle, over and over, and trampled on Alec Baldwin’s rights.