Alex Jones Liable For Defamation In Sandy Hook 'Giant Hoax' Case
The ruling combines with decisions handed down in Texas, siding with families of shooting victims in their cases against Jones
It’s going to be interesting to see how Alex Jones spins this: a judge recently ruled that Alex Jones did, indeed, spread false theories about the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. And those falsehoods amount to defamation, the court found.
It’s heartbreaking to imagine the type of hell that Jones brought to the families every time he opened his mouth, as one person tweeted.
“Dangerous conspiracy theorist and insurrectionist Alex Jones has been found guilty by default in all lawsuits brought against him by Sandy Hook parents, delivering a sweeping victory to them,” the tweet reads. “Good, now bankrupt him into poverty and oblivion. Take every damn penny.”
The victory was in favor of the families of eight people killed in a 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The families are suing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars media platform for defamation.
One person tweeted their happiness at the news. “BREAKING: Alex Jones has been found guilty by default in ALL FOUR LAWSUITS brought by the parents of 10 Sandy Hook students,” the person wrote. “May they take him for everything.”
The judge ruled on Monday that because Mr. Jones refused to turn over documents ordered by the courts, including financial records, he was liable by default, the New York Times reports. The ruling will merge with three earlier rulings in Texas, giving the families of 10 Sandy Hook shooting victims a sweeping win in the four defamation lawsuits against Mr. Jones.
For one Twitter user, this latest stunt by Jones totally tracks. “Alex Jones may be a huckster, a provocateur, a bully, a bad father, an abusive boss, and a man best known for emotionally torturing the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, but he’s also a deadbeat who can’t even drag his ass to court,” the tweet reads.
Jones spread the lie for years that the shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators was part of a government-led plot to seize Americans’ firearms and that the families of the victims were joining the plot.
The Sandy Hook families contend that Mr. Jones profited from spreading lies about their relatives’ murders. In spite of Mr. Jones’ often vulgar claims to the contrary, he continues to fail to produce sufficient records to support his claim.
The next step will be for juries in both states to determine how much Jones should pay the families in damages, as well as court costs. Trials will take place in both states next year.
