By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters), Alec Baldwin, actor and director of “Rust”, stated Friday in a legal filing that his contract for movie rights in Rust protects him financially from any financial liabilities arising out of the shooting death at the hands the cinematographer.

Baldwin was named as defendant in several civil lawsuits. One from Halyna Hutchins’ husband, who died in October after a gun Baldwin used during rehearsals fired off a live shot.

Baldwin was also the producer.

Baldwin is requesting arbitration against other producers to enforce his “broad indemnification” clause in his contract. His lawyers claimed that it protects him financially from claims relating to the production.

Baldwin said that he was devastated by the accident but doesn’t believe he is responsible. He was informed the Colt.45 revolver was safe and “cold” (an industry term meaning the weapon was not dangerous). Baldwin claims he pulled back the gun’s trigger but didn’t pull it.

Bonanza Creek Ranch (NYSE:) Ranch, New Mexico was filming “Rust”, a Western. Santa Fe police are still investigating the matter and do not rule out criminal charges. The key issue is how the live ammunition got on to the set.

Attorneys stated that he contributed creatively to his production role, but did not employ any crew members. They were responsible for gun safety.

The filing stated that “This was a rare case when the system failed” and suggested that someone be legally held responsible for the devastating consequences. This person isn’t Alec Baldwin.

Matthew Hutchins was the husband of the cinematographer. He claimed that Baldwin is responsible for firing the gun, and that he should have double checked it didn’t contain live rounds.