Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seen taking the witness stand to testify on the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Courtroom in Waterbury, Conn., Sept. 22, 2022.
Tyler Sizemore/Pool Hearst Connecticut Media/AP
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Tyler Sizemore/Pool Hearst Connecticut Media/AP
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Courtroom on Tuesday rejected an attraction from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4 billion judgment in opposition to him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures as a hoax staged by disaster actors.
The Infowars host had argued {that a} choose was improper to search out him chargeable for defamation and infliction of emotional misery with out holding a trial on the deserves of allegations lodged by relations of victims of the taking pictures, which killed 20 first graders and 6 educators in Newtown, Connecticut.
The justices didn’t touch upon their order, which they issued with out even asking the households of the Sandy Hook victims to answer Jones’ attraction. An FBI agent who responded to the taking pictures additionally sued.
A lawyer who represents Sandy Hook households stated the Supreme Courtroom had correctly rejected Jones’ “newest determined try to keep away from accountability for the hurt he has induced.”
“We sit up for implementing the jury’s historic verdict and making Jones and Infowars pay for what they’ve performed,” lawyer Christopher Mattei stated in a press release.
A lawyer representing Jones within the case did not instantly reply to an e-mail looking for remark. Throughout his every day present on Tuesday, Jones stated his attorneys believed his case was “reduce and dry,” whereas he had predicted the excessive courtroom would not take up his attraction.
“I stated no, they won’t do it due to politics,” Jones stated.
Jones mocked the concept he has sufficient cash to pay the judgement, saying his studio tools, together with five-year-old cameras, was solely price about $304,000.
“It is all about torturing me. It is all about harassing me. It is about harassing my household. It is about getting me off the air,” stated Jones, who urged his listeners to purchase merchandise to maintain present working.
Jones filed for chapter in late 2022, and his attorneys advised the justices that the “plaintiffs haven’t any doable hope of amassing” the whole judgment.
He’s individually interesting a $49 million judgment in an identical defamation lawsuit in Texas after he failed to show over paperwork sought by the dad and mom of one other Sandy Hook sufferer.
Within the Connecticut case, the choose issued a uncommon default ruling in opposition to Jones and his firm in late 2021 due to what she referred to as Jones’ repeated failure to abide by courtroom rulings and to show over sure proof to the Sandy Hook households. The choose convened a jury to find out how a lot Jones would owe.
The next 12 months, the jury agreed on a $964 million verdict and the choose later tacked on one other $473 million in punitive damages in opposition to Jones and Free Speech Programs, Infowars’ guardian firm, which is predicated in Austin, Texas.
In November, the satirical information outlet The Onion was named the successful bidder in an public sale to liquidate Infowars’ belongings to assist pay the defamation judgments. However the chapter choose threw out the public sale outcomes, citing issues with the method and The Onion’s bid.
The try to unload Infowars’ belongings has moved to a Texas state courtroom in Austin. Jones is now interesting a current order from the courtroom that appointed a receiver to liquidate the belongings. A few of Jones’ private property can be being bought off as a part of the chapter case.
