Less than two weeks after ruling that a lighting technician on the film “Rust” who says he suffered emotional distress from the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin in 2021 can take his case to trial, that bench officer has retired and a new judge has been assigned to the case.
On April 17, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice A. Leiter denied a motion to dismiss Serge Svetnoy’s suit sought by attorneys for Baldwin and El Dorado Pictures Inc. Trial is currently scheduled for Oct. 12.
Leiter recently announced his retirement after about a decade on the bench and his last day at work was Friday. On Wednesday, the Svetnoy case was reassigned to Judge Karine Mkrtchyan, who was appointed to the Superior Court in November by Gov. Gavin Newsom after having worked as a court commissioner since 2023. Prior to that she was a partner at the Fraser, Watson & Croutch law firm.
Svetnoy claimed in his original suit filed in November 2021 that the shooting on the film’s set “was caused by the negligent acts and omissions” of the multiple defendants in his suit. In a subsequent amended complaint, Svetnoy added causes of action for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress against Baldwin only.
Svetnoy was among the first “Rust” crew members to publicly speak out about the shooting that killed the 42-year-old Hutchins while Baldwin was helping to prepare camera angles on the film’s set near Santa Fe. The weapon, which was supposed to contain only blank rounds, discharged a lead bullet that struck Hutchins in the chest then lodged in the shoulder of Souza, now 51.
In July 2024, a New Mexico judge dismissed the criminal case against Baldwin in mid-trial on grounds that the prosecution had suppressed evidence.
Among the other cases Mkrtchyan inherits from Leiter is that of pianist Nomi Abadi’s lawsuit against Danny Elfman. Abadi alleges the Grammy-winning television and film composer failed to pay $85,000 of a $830,000 settlement stemming from previous sexual misconduct allegations.