The 66-year-old actor burst into tears on Friday (12.07.24) when judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled his involuntary manslaughter case should be thrown out of court after she heard claims from his legal team prosecutors had allegedly buried evidence linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the set of neo-Western 'Rust' in 2021.
Alec was seen in good spirits after his tearful breakdown at Santa Fe County District Court, and photos obtained by TMZ later showed him dressed in black trousers, a dark shirt and navy blue blazer for his dinner outing.
With him at the bar in the El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe was his wife Hilaria Baldwin, 40, as well as his lawyers, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas.
There were filming crews for his upcoming reality show 'The Baldwins' at the celebration.
Father-of-eight Alec was also snapped heading into the local Mexican spot Casa Chimayo with his entourage, including brother Stephen Baldwin, 58, in tow after his actor sibling had spent time supporting him at court.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said when she kicked Alec's case out of court: "The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings.
"If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith it certainly comes so near to bad faith to show signs of scorching."
Alec was facing 18 months in prison if convicted and after weeping, he gave Hilaria - with whom he has seven of his eight kids - a long embrace and kiss. He also hugged his legal team.
Alec and other producers still face civil lawsuits from Halyna's parents and sister.
An attorney for the cinematographer's widower Matthew Hutchins said the family respected the court's decision but still hoped to hold Alec responsible for the on-set tragedy. 'Rust' armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 27, is still appealing her involuntary manslaughter conviction after she was sentenced to 18 months in prison after Halyna's death.
Alec was rehearsing a scene on the set of 'Rust' when the gun he was holding discharged, killing Halyna and injuring the film's 51-year-old director Joel Souza. Alec had insisted in interviews he did not pull the trigger of the gun or know why it contained live ammunition.