HOLLYWOOD—While we tend to think of celebrity lifestyles full of red-carpet parties and luxury mansions, that’s just one side of living with this kind of fame. The lifestyles of the rich and famous can sometimes get sadly complicated, and the cost of living that high-profile lifestyle can be a steep one-especially when it comes to lawsuits.
So many of our favorite celebrities have seen the inside of a courtroom, from the royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Prince Andrew to recently separated Kelly Clarkson and many more. While they are better equipped financially to arm themselves for legal battle than the average person, they still stress like the average people.
That being said, the celebrity lawsuits that have stood the test of time are those that made their mark on Hollywood history, either shedding light on longstanding issues of sexual harassment and assault, like Rose McGowan’s lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein or Kesha’s lawsuit against Dr. Luke or setting new standards about what’s accepted practice for everyone from paparazzi to on-set drivers.
Whether these celebrities are battling for justice or being sued by outsiders it’s never pleasant for either party. Following the Astroworld tragedy that claimed the lives of 10 concertgoers, attendees of the massive live performance event have levied serious lawsuits against Travis Scott, who was performing during the deadly mosh pit. The November 5 concert in Houston, Texas, has since been dealt with over 200 lawsuits.
We all knew this was coming. Alec Baldwin “recklessly shot and killed” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of film “Rust” last year, a lawsuit from her family has alleged. Hutchins, 42, died last year during a scene rehearsal after a gun held by Baldwin discharged a live round. Baldwin is one of several defendants named in the wrongful death lawsuit. Lawyers for the Hutchins family said she would still be alive if crew members had not cut corners.
The lawsuit, which came out on February 15, 2022, was filed in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico on behalf of Ms. Hutchins husband Matthew and son Andros and seeks unspecified damages. At a news conference, lawyers for the Hutchins family also presented an animated re-enactment of the shooting. They claimed Baldwin and others “failed to perform industry standard safety checks and follow basic safety rules.” The lawsuit also faults producers for “cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations.”
Other defendants named include assistant director David Halls, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and prop master Sarah Zachry. Mr. Halls and Ms. Guitierrez-Reed have both faced complaints in the past that they did not adhere to on-set safety measures. The weapon that wounded Ms. Hutchins was a.45 Colt revolver that was supposed to contain dummy rounds. Baldwin-the Western film’s star and co-producer had been practicing drawing the gun and pointing it at the camera when it fired a single live round.
Ms. Hutchins, who was setting up for the next scene, was hit in the chest. The film’s director Joel Souza was also hit in the shoulder but survived. Around 500 rounds of ammunition-a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and live rounds-were later located on the set. In the aftermath of the incident, Baldwin expressed “shock and sadness” over what he called a “tragic accident.” However, in December, he told ABC News that he had never pulled the trigger of the gun.
Very bizarre statement, in my humble opinion. Last month, he turned over his cell phone to investigators after they had accused him of blocking their probe. Several lawsuits relating to the film set have been filed, and Baldwin was previously named in one filing over negligence. No criminal charges have yet emerged, but police have not ruled it out. Baldwin has not yet responded to the latest lawsuit.
Rose’s Scoop: Coachella Music Festival, coming up April 15-17 and April 22-24, 2022 in Indio, California. Check their website at www.coachhella.com
