Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his propaganda outlet InfoWars were found liable for defamation against the families of victims of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut.
Jones was also found liable for damages in a separate but similar case brought by eight families in Austin, Texas.
Jones repeatedly proffered false claims that the massacre was staged as a “false flag operation” and that the children who were slain were portrayed by “crisis actors” promoting an anti-gun agenda.
Connecticut Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ruled on Monday that Jones’s “willful noncompliance” with the discovery process left her no choice but to side with the plaintiffs.
“All the defendants have failed to fully and fairly comply with their discovery obligations,” Bellis explained at a virtual hearing.
Attorneys for the families lauded Bellis’s decision.
“While the families are grateful for the Court’s ruling, they remain focused on uncovering the truth. As the Court noted, Alex Jones and his companies have deliberately concealed evidence of the relationship between what they publish and how they make money,” said lawyer Chris Mattei of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. “Mr. Jones was given every opportunity to comply but, when he chose instead to withhold evidence for more than two years, the Court was left with no choice but to rule as it did today. While today’s ruling is a legal victory, the battle to shed light on how deeply Mr. Jones has harmed these families continues.”
The next step in the case is a status hearing that will take place this Wednesday when Bellis will consider the damages that will be awarded to the victims’ families. Jury trials that are scheduled for next year in Texas and Connecticut will determine the dollar amounts that Jones will have to pay.
