SANTA FE, New Mexico - American actor Alec Baldwin sued New Mexico prosecutors and sheriff’s office officials on Jan 9, alleging a “malicious” prosecution against him for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie Rust.

The action against special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and others is among at least a dozen civil lawsuits filed over Ms Hutchins’ death, which shocked Hollywood and sparked calls for an overhaul of firearms safety on movie sets.

The lawsuit, filed in a Santa Fe court, followed the dramatic dismissal of Baldwin’s case during his manslaughter trial in the New Mexico capital in July 2024.

A judge ruled the special prosecutor and sheriff’s office deliberately withheld evidence from Baldwin, 66, on the source of a live round that killed the Ukrainian-born cinematographer.

For the best part of three years, New Mexico officials pursued Baldwin for “political” and “personal” goals in a “conspiracy” to bring him to trial, the actor’s attorneys say in the complaint, which seeks financial damages via a jury trial.

“Defendants must now be held accountable for their malicious and unlawful pursuit of Baldwin,” they wrote in the complaint.

Actions ranged from special prosecutor Andrea Reeb’s comment that the case could benefit her political career as a Republican state representative to Ms Morrissey presenting “false and incomplete” testimony to win a grand jury indictment, they said.

Ms Morrissey said prosecutors had long known Baldwin would file a retaliatory civil lawsuit.

“We look forward to our day in court,” she said in a text message.

Ms Reeb and the Santa Fe sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ms Hutchins died at the age of 42 when Baldwin pointed his pistol at her, cocked it and possibly pulled the trigger as they set up a camera shot on a movie set near Santa Fe, his lawyers said.

The gun, a reproduction 1873 single-action army revolver, fired a live round inadvertently loaded by Ms Hannah Gutierrez, the movie’s weapons handler. Ms Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Baldwin, also a Rust producer, has always said live roun...