Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to ‘Rust’ involuntary manslaughter, can continue filming amid criminal case

Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust,” which will continuing filming under conditions set by a New Mexico judge on Thursday.

Baldwin will be allowed to “have contact with potential witnesses” only as it relates to his completion and promotion of the movie, said Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer in a court filing.

Though he is allowed to work with those witnesses, Baldwin is barred from discussing with them “the accident at issue” or “the substance of his or the witnesses’ potential testimony in the case.” He is not allowed to interact with witnesses in any capacity that goes beyond his work on the movie.

The film’s producers announced last week they would continue filming this spring. Baldwin is also a producer in addition to starring in “Rust.”

Along with the criminal suit, the Academy Award-winning actor is facing a civil lawsuit from the family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was shot on set.

Baldwin is allowed to talk about the accident with the witnesses who are named as co-defendants in the civil case as long as attorneys are present, Sommer set out in the same filing.

The judge’s decision came on the same day Baldwin filed a waiver of his first appearance in court, which was scheduled for Friday. Sommer approved the waiver with a series of conditions including that Baldwin cannot possess firearms or consume alcohol and that he must obey the restrictions of witness interaction while he makes the movie.