Tom Williams/ZUMA
A Connecticut judge ruled on Monday that unhinged conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was liable for damages in lawsuits brought by the parents of eight first graders killed in the Sandy Hook shooting.
Judge Barbara Bellis ruled that Jones was liable by default for refusing to comply with court orders to turn over documents related to the case. The parents alleged that Jones had profited off the deaths of their children, and they sought internal documents from Jones’ companies, Infowars and Free Speech Systems, to prove this.
The 2012 shooting claimed the lives of 20 first graders and six educators. On his show Infowars, Jones falsely asserted that the victims and their parents were “crisis actors,” participating in a government plot to confiscate guns from the American public. Jones’ allegations led to online harassment and death threats directed toward the victims’ parents. Jones has since dialed back his claims, saying that he no longer believes the shooting was a hoax and blaming his beliefs on a “form of psychosis.”
Jones has previously lost three similar defamation cases in Texas. Juries in both states will meet next year to determine the amount that Jones will have to pay in damages.
