Alec Baldwin Sees ‘Rust’ Crew Member’s L.A. Negligence Trial Paused As New Mexico Criminal Case Moves Forward
deadline.comAlec Baldwin has one less Rust trial to worry about, for now. Facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter in New Mexico for the fatal October 2021 shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the actor has gotten a bit of breathing room in the California courts.
Responding to a petition from lawyers for Baldwin, Rust producers and other defendants as well as plaintiff Maime Mitchell in the latter’s negligence lawsuit, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has paused the civil case and lifted any self-incrimination risk for the actor until next year, aka after the expected criminal trial in the Land of Enchantment in over.
In an order (read it here) inked Tuesday by LASC Judge Michael E. Whitaker, he stipulated that “The trial date be continued from May 17, 2023 to February 21, 2024, or as soon thereafter in accordance with the Court’s calendar and availability.” “The Parties believe a continuance of the trial and all related dates serves the interests of all parties by allowing the parties to maximize good faith settlement negotiations and complete discovery,” said the order, hinting at a possible settlement down the line.
Regardless of any deal or not, this kind of stay is a standard move in instances of overlapping criminal and civil cases, as Bill Cosby and Danny Masterson have found in recent rape trials and tribulations of their own.
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