A federal judge dismissed key claims in Alec Baldwin's civil suit against 'Rust' prosecutors, ruling officials are protected by prosecutorial immunity.

A federal judge dismissed key claims Wednesday in actor Alec Baldwin’s civil rights lawsuit against prosecutors who handled the "Rust" fatal shooting case, ruling the officials are protected by prosecutorial immunity.

Baldwin filed the civil action last year, alleging prosecutors pursued an out-of-control case to wrongly convict him over the on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Prosecutorial Immunity Ruling

The federal court determined that state prosecutors are entitled to broad immunity from civil damages when carrying out official duties. The ruling threw out major portions of Baldwin’s complaint that sought to hold individual prosecutors civilly liable for their conduct during the criminal proceedings.

Baldwin claimed in his court filing that prosecutors engaged in improper behavior during the investigation. He asserted that officials targeted him unfairly while investigating the deadly discharge of a firearm on the New Mexico film set.

Background of the Civil Action

The civil lawsuit followed the initial criminal prosecution of Baldwin connected to the 2021 fatal shooting of Hutchins during a movie rehearsal. Baldwin was holding a prop revolver when it discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

Baldwin maintained that he did not pull the trigger and was told the firearm contained no live ammunition. State prosecutors charged Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter before the criminal case was ultimately dismissed.

Scope of Legal Protections

Prosecutorial immunity provides legal protections for government attorneys against personal liability arising from actions within their professional jurisdiction. The legal doctrine protects officials making charging decisions from facing retaliatory civil actions.

The ruling effectively restricts Baldwin’s ability to seek financial damages from the prosecutors involved in the criminal case.