Alec Baldwin's lawsuit against Rust prosecutors dismissed on immunity grounds

Alec Baldwin's civil lawsuit against the prosecutors of the Rust case has been dismissed.

In July 2024, the 30 Rock actor went on trial for involuntary manslaughter over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot on the New Mexico set of the movie Rust in 2021 when Baldwin's prop weapon accidentally fired.

The criminal case was dismissed three days into the trial when the judge ruled that the prosecution had improperly withheld evidence from the defence.

Later, Baldwin filed a civil lawsuit against special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and other defendants, in which he alleged "conspiracy to cause malicious prosecution and deprivation of civil rights", among other claims.

A judge dismissed the case in July 2025, but it was later refiled in a district court.

And on Wednesday, U.S. Judge Kea Riggs ruled that while the allegations against Morrissey "paint a disturbing picture", the prosecutors are entitled to immunity.

"And so, this Court finds that under the doctrine of absolute prosecutorial immunity Defendant Morrissey is insulated from liability for much of the misconduct she is alleged to have committed," she wrote.

Additionally, Riggs declared that immunity covers Morrissey's alleged withholding of firearm analyses and failure to disclose evidence at trial.

"The doctrine of absolute prosecutorial immunity is worthwhile only if it applies to hard cases, occasionally shielding acts of gross misconduct," the judge continued. "If instead the doctrine yielded whenever a court determined that the conduct was sufficiently distasteful, it would be no doctrine at all. Defendant Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey, like all prosecutors, is entitled to this protection."

Baldwin has not yet commented on the judgment.

The 68-year-old has always denied pulling the trigger on the prop gun.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armourer, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. She was released on parole in May 2025.