Supreme Court docket rejects Alex Jones’ attraction of fee to Sandy Hook households : NPR

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Tyler Sizemore/Pool Hearst Connecticut Media/AP WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court docket on Tuesday rejected an attraction from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4 billion judgment towards him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary College taking pictures as a hoax staged by disaster actors.

The Infowars host had argued {that a} decide was mistaken to seek out him responsible 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 mentioned the Supreme Court docket had correctly rejected Jones' "newest determined try and keep away from accountability for the hurt he has triggered."

"We sit up for imposing the jury's historic verdict and making Jones and Infowars pay for what they've completed," lawyer Christopher Mattei mentioned in a press release.

A lawyer representing Jones within the case did not instantly reply to an electronic mail looking for remark. Throughout his every day present on Tuesday, Jones mentioned his attorneys believed his case was "lower and dry," whereas he had predicted the excessive court docket would not take up his attraction.

"I mentioned no, they won't do it due to politics," Jones mentioned.

Jones mocked the concept he has sufficient cash to pay the judgement, saying his studio gear, 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," mentioned Jones, who urged his listeners to purchase merchandise to maintain present operating.

Jones filed for chapter in late 2022, and his attorneys informed the justices that the "plaintiffs haven't any attainable hope of accumulating" the complete 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 mother and father of one other Sandy Hook sufferer.

Within the Connecticut case, the decide issued a uncommon default ruling towards Jones and his firm in late 2021 due to what she known as Jones' repeated failure to abide by court docket rulings and to show over sure proof to the Sandy Hook households. The decide 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 decide later tacked on one other $473 million in punitive damages towards Jones and Free Speech Methods, Infowars' dad or mum firm, which is predicated in Austin, Texas.

In November, the satirical information outlet The Onion was named the profitable bidder in an public sale to liquidate Infowars' belongings to assist pay the defamation judgments. However the chapter decide threw out the public sale outcomes, citing issues with the method and The Onion's bid.

The try and dump Infowars' belongings has moved to a Texas state court docket in Austin. Jones is now interesting a current order from the court docket 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.