Ukrainian parents and Galina Hutchins’ sister have filed a civil lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and other cast members of the western Rust, on the set of which Hutchins, née Androsova, died in 2021 from complications of careless handling of firearms. This was announced Thursday by the family lawyer.
The announcement came after Santa Fe prosecutors filed criminal charges against Baldwin on Jan. 31 for manslaughter, accusing him of negligence and breach of security. The gun, which was in Baldwin’s hands, was loaded with live ammunition and the actor fired it, killing Hutchins, who was working on the cameraman’s set, and injuring director Joel Souza.
In October, Baldwin settled a separate wrongful death lawsuit filed against him by the late husband, Matt Hutchins.
Hutchins was born in Ukraine, her parents and sister still live near Kiev. According to attorney Gloria Allred, the plaintiffs are seeking damages from Baldwin, crew members and producers in connection with the loss of her daughter and sister, according to New Mexico law. The amount of compensation in the claim is not specified.
“It is clear to us that all of our clients’ relationships have been damaged and that they will not be able to enjoy life as much as they did when their precious Galina was alive…And Mr. Baldwin will not didn’t even apologize to them,” the lawyer said in an interview with reporters.
Luke Nikas, an attorney representing Baldwin, has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Allred said Baldwin settled a lawsuit brought against him by Galina’s widower, Matt Hutchins. The lawyer represents the interests of other members of Galina’s family – her mother Olga Solovey, her father Anatoly Androsovich and her younger sister Svetlana Zemko. According to her, Galina’s Ukrainian relatives have remained in contact with Matt Hutchins.
Following the Matt Hutchins lawsuit settlement, filming was set to resume in early 2023. Hutchins is executive producing, Baldwin still stars, and Joel Souza is directing.
In 2021, in an interview with reporters, Baldwin said she was told there were no cartridges in the gun, and Hutchins herself told the actor to point the gun at the camera and pull the trigger. He said the gun exploded when he released the trigger. At the same time, according to Baldwin, he did not pull the trigger to fire.
According to an FBI investigation, this type of revolver cannot fire on its own without pulling the trigger.
Galina Androsova was born in 1979 in the village of Gorodets, Zhytomyr region. In the early 2000s, Galina graduated from Kiev National University with a degree in international journalism. Before working in the film industry, Galina worked as a journalist in Eastern Europe, worked on a documentary film in the UK, then moved to the United States, deciding to become a cameraman.
From 2013 to 2015, she studied at the American Film Institute under cinematographer Stephen Lighthill.
In 2019, the American cinematographer named her “rising star” of cinema. In memory of Hutchins, her professors and friends at the American Film Institute established the Galina Hutchins Memorial Scholarship Fund in October 2021 to support the education of women who have chosen to pursue a career in film.
