‘Rust’ producers dispute New Mexico safety agency's pricey penalty: report

foxnews.com:

Producers responsible for creating the movie "Rust," which was being filmed in New Mexico before an on-set shooting death resulted in its cancellation, are pushing back on claims that they knew firearm safety was a concern before the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was killed by a gun actor Alec Baldwin was holding.

Rust Movie Productions LLC filed a notice of contest on Tuesday arguing that the findings by the New Mexico Environmental Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (NMED) – which last month fined the company $136,793 for its "willful and serious" violation of workplace safety procedures – have no clue what it’s talking about in connection to a fire extinguisher that NMED said was not properly inspected and maintained. "The supposed ‘fire extinguisher’ NMED claims should have been inspected and maintained is not a real fire extinguisher – it is a special effects device used to create fake smoke," the motion states, per The Hollywood Reporter. "The attempt to extend the application of a fire extinguisher regulation to a special effects device shows their misunderstanding of the film industry." Last month, the safety board issued Rust Movie Productions its highest level of citation and maximum fine allowable by state law following its investigation into the deadly discharge in October 2021 that left the 42-year-old mother of one dead and film director Joel Souza wounded.