The family of Halyna Hutchins has branded Alec Baldwin’s reality show The Baldwins “shameless” and called on the actor to testify in the wrongful death civil suit they filed against him.
Gloria Allred and other lawyers working for the late Rust cinematographer’s mother Olga Solovey, father Anatolii Androsovych, and sister Svetlana Zemko filed a notice of deposition in Santa Fe, New Mexico yesterday.
In a statement to The Independent, Allred and her legal team said: “The Baldwin reality show at once celebrates Mr Baldwin’s joy of being with his children while ignoring the fact that Alec Baldwin took a child away from her parents. That is the painful and actual reality with which Halyna’s parents and sister live each and every day.”
They added: “It is long overdue for Alec Baldwin to admit and face the real-life consequences that he caused Halyna’s parents and sister. It is time for him to face reality under oath.”
The statement continues: “Why is he claiming that he has PTSD? Is his reality show just a veiled attempt to create sympathy for himself with a future jury pool in our civil case? Is this just a shameless attempt to portray him as the real victim in this case?”
The Independent has approached Baldwin’s lawyers for comment.
Last month, Baldwin and his wife Hilaria opened up about the PTSD the actor suffered as a result of the accidental shooting of Hutchins in the first episode of their new reality show The Baldwins.
The series was filmed in the lead-up to Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial after the fatal shooting of Hutchins.
In July, the case was dismissed with prejudice based on the misconduct of police and prosecutors over the withholding of evidence from the defense. The prosecution will not be able to file charges against Baldwin again in Hutchins’s death.
In the season premiere of the new show, which aired on TLC on February 23, Baldwin called the situation “surreal” while his wife described his PTSD and survivor's guilt.
“Everyone who is close to Alec has seen his mental health decline,” she said. “He was diagnosed with PTSD and he says, in his darkest moments, ‘If an accident had to have happened on this day, why am I still here? Why couldn’t it be me?’”
Speaking directly to her husband, she said: “You wake up in the morning and you’re like, ‘Oh God, why did I have to wake up?’ You’re so dark and it’s so painful.”
The 30 Rock actor responded: “My good friend said to me the other day, he said, ‘How are you doing?’ and I said, ‘I’m happier when I’m asleep than when I’m awake.’”
He also told Hilaria: “I don’t know where I’d be if I didn't have you and these kids going through this. I never would’ve made it with this. Sometimes I ask, ‘Why did we have seven kids?’ To help carry me and you through this situation.”
