Alex Jones Ordered To Pay Sandy Hook Families In Defamation Lawsuit Ruling

Right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was found liable Monday in the defamation lawsuit brought by families of the eight people killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Connecticut Superior Court Barbara Bellis found Jones liable for damages by default because Jones and his companies refused to turn over documents ordered by the courts, including financial records.

Jones, who owns the far-right website InfoWars, had peddled unfounded claims that actors were used in the shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six educators.

"Mr. Jones is very used to saying whatever he wants to say from the comfort of his own studio, but what I think this case has shown is that when he is forced to defend his conduct in a court of law and comply with court orders, that it’s a very different ballgame," said Chris Mattei, an attorney representing the Sandy Hook families.

Mattei noted how Jones did not provide information to the court. “The fact that the court was left with no choice but to default him shows just how unwilling Mr. Jones was to have his conduct exposed to the light of day in front of a jury,” Mattei said.

Bellis stated about Jones’ lawyers, according to the Hartford Courant, that “their failure to produce critical documents, (and) their disregard for the discovery process and procedure and court orders, is a pattern of obstructive conduct that interferes with the ability of the plaintiff to conduct meaningful discovery.”

Jones is scheduled to be deposed on Dec. 14, the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Juries also have to determine damage amounts in all the cases in Texas and Connecticut, so the process is far from over, but Monday’s decision was a win for the families.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place on Dec. 14, 2012. There were 28 victims, including the perpetrator and his mother. Former President Barack Obama called that day and the aftermath one of the saddest and angriest moments in his presidency.

Jones based his unfounded claims on a Uniform Crime report that indicated there were no murders in Newtown in 2012 when the victims were included in the statewide records as Connecticut State Police investigated the shooting.

Jones has since walked back on the claims. He said the shooting happened, but he cites the first amendment to defend his former claims.