Supreme Court Rejects Alex Jones’ Dismissal of Sandy Hook Lawsuit
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an allure by Infowars host Alex Jones in a defamation lawsuit that used to be filed in opposition to him by family of the victims of the Sandy Hook taking pictures.
The court docket did no longer scenario a design off of the dismissal, writing (pdf) in an say: “The petitions for writs of certiorari are denied.”
Jones’ lawyer, Norman Pattis, said the court docket’s dedication on Monday is “a disappointment,” reported The Associated Press.
“Hang Bellis, and the Connecticut Supreme Court, asserted unpleasant and standardless strength over the extrajudicial statements of litigants,” he added. “Mr. Jones never threatened somebody; had he performed so, he would were charged with against the law. We’re inching our technique case-by-case in direction of a toothless, politically relevant, First Modification.”
Jones used to be penalized in 2019 by a trial court docket have interaction for comments made on his online page online demonstrate in opposition to an lawyer for the family and for allegedly violating a amount of orders to flip over documents to the families’ attorneys. Hang Barbara Bellis barred Jones from filing a circulate to push aside the case, which stays pending, and said she would say Jones to pay one of the important families’ relevant costs.
The Austin, Texas-essentially based fully mostly host beforehand argued that he shouldn’t be sanctioned for exercising his First Modification rights.
It came after the families of the Sandy Hook victims and an FBI agent filed a suit in opposition to Jones and his demonstrate for making assertions that it used to be a hoax.
Since then, Jones has said he believed the 2012 taking pictures in Newton, Connecticut, in actual fact took place.
On Monday, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families praised the Supreme Court’s dedication.
“The families are desirous to resume their case and to aid Mr. Jones and his financial community guilty for his or her actions,” Joshua Koskoff, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, told AP. “From the beginning, our goal has been to forestall future victims of mass shootings from being preyed on by opportunists,” he added.
Earlier this 365 days, the Texas Supreme Court rejected Jones’ request to toss the complaints. The rulings, issued in January, came without comment.
Jones in 2019 used to be also ordered by a Texas have interaction to pay $100,000 in relevant costs and refused to push aside the suit. A Wisconsin jury also awarded $450,000 to regarded as among the Sandy Hook fogeys in a lawsuit in opposition to other writers—no longer Jones—who said the taking pictures never took place.
The Sandy Hook families are suing Jones, Infowars, and several other others for defamation and infliction of emotional ruin, and they’re attempting for undisclosed damages.
The Epoch Cases has contacted Pattis for comment.
The case is 20-1135 JONES, ALEX E., ET AL. V. LAFFERTY, ERICA, ET AL.
The Associated Press contributed to this file.