Supreme Court Upholds $1.4 Billion Judgment Against Alex Jones
The US Supreme Court has denied an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, allowing a $1.4 billion (€1.2 billion) judgment against him to stand. This ruling pertains to his claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax orchestrated by crisis actors.
Jones had argued that a lower court judge was incorrect in finding him liable for defamation and infliction of emotional distress without conducting a trial on the merits of the allegations. These allegations were brought by the families of the victims, who lost 20 first graders and six educators in the tragic event in Newtown, Connecticut.
The Supreme Court did not provide any explanation for its decision, and the families of the Sandy Hook victims were not given a chance to respond to Jones’ appeal. Additionally, an FBI agent who responded to the shooting also filed a lawsuit against Jones.
A lawyer representing the families of the Sandy Hook victims praised the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that it properly rejected Jones’ “latest desperate attempt to avoid accountability for the harm he has caused.”
“We look forward to enforcing the jury’s historic verdict and making Jones and Infowars pay for what they have done,” said Christopher Mattei, the lawyer representing the families.
Jones’ legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, it is known that Jones filed for bankruptcy in late 2022, and his lawyers have claimed that the plaintiffs have no hope of collecting the full judgment.
Jones is also appealing a separate $49 million (€42 million) judgment in a defamation case in Texas. This case stems from his failure to provide documents requested by the parents of another Sandy Hook victim.
In the Connecticut case, a judge issued a rare default ruling against Jones and his company in late 2021. This was due to what the judge described as Jones’ repeated failures to comply with court orders and to provide specific evidence to the families of the victims.
Following this, a jury was convened to determine the amount Jones would owe. In the following year, the jury reached a $946 million (€814 million) verdict, and the judge later added another $473 million (€407 million) in punitive damages against Jones and Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, which is based in Austin, Texas.
In November, The Onion, a satirical news outlet, was named the winning bidder in an auction to liquidate Infowars’ assets to help cover the defamation judgments. However, the bankruptcy judge invalidated the auction results, citing issues with the process and The Onion’s bid.
The effort to sell Infowars’ assets has now been moved to a Texas state court in Austin. Jones is currently appealing a recent court order that appointed a receiver to liquidate the assets. Some of Jones’ personal property is also being sold as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.
