‘PLAIN INDIFFERENCE’

New Mexico Fines ‘Rust’ Producers $136K Over ‘Willful’ Safety Violations

The maximum penalty allowed under state law was issued after an investigation found that the “tragic incident never would have happened” had firearm standards been followed.

Producers on the independent Western Rust failed to act despite knowing that firearm safety standards weren’t being followed on set, New Mexico workplace investigators said in a report published Wednesday. The state’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau has said it will impose a $136,793 civil penalty on the producers—the maximum amount allowed under state law—for “plain indifference” to violations that led directly to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot after a prop gun being handled by actor-producer Alec Baldwin discharged. In a news release, New Mexico Environment Cabinet Secretary James Kenney called the case “a complete failure” by Rust Movie Production LLC’s management, adding that the investigation had found “that this tragic incident never would have happened” had they followed “national industry standards for firearm safety.” A lawyer for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s embattled armorer under intense scrutiny for her role in the accident, claimed that Wednesday’s report exonerated his client, having found that she “was not provided adequate time or resources to conduct her job effectively, despite her voiced concerns.”