Connecticut judge finds Alex Jones liable over 'hoax' Sandy Hook claims
Infowars host Alex Jones found guilty by default in defamation lawsuit
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Connecticut judge found Infowars host Alex Jones liable for defamation Monday for spreading the false conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a "hoax."
Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ruled in favor of the families of eight people killed in the 2018 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The judge found that Jones lost his case because he failed to produce "critical material," including documents and financial records ordered by the court, that "the plaintiffs needed to prove their claims."
The default ruling also meant the judge will hold a hearing on how much Jones should pay in damages, The Associated Press reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ALEX JONES BLAMES CONSPIRACY CLAIMS ON ‘PSYCHOSIS’
The 2012 school shooting killed 20 first-graders and six educators.
Twitter announced in 2018 that it "permanently suspended" Alex Jones, center, and his show Infowars from their platform, as well as Periscope. (AP)
Jones used his website Infowars to promote the conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook parents were paid "actors" and the shooting was actually a hoax organized by the government to take away citizens’ guns.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jones already had lost by default in separate filings in Texas by failing to produce items needed for discovery. Hearings on damages were also ordered. Monday’s ruling granted the families of 10 Sandy Hook victims a total of four wins in defamation lawsuits against Jones, The New York Times reported.
In the Connecticut suit, lawyers for the parents claimed Jones and his companies, including Infowars and Free Speech Systems, violated court rules by failing to turn over documents to them, including internal company documents showing how, and if, Jones and Infowars profited from talking about the school shooting and other mass shootings.
"Their pattern of defying and ignoring court orders to produce responsive information is well established," lawyers for the family wrote in a court brief in July.
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Jones' lawyers have denied violating court rules on document disclosure and have asked that Bellis be removed from the case, alleging she has not been impartial. Jones has since said he did not believe the massacre was a hoax. Families of some of the school shooting victims sued Jones, Infowars and others in courts in Texas and Connecticut over the hoax conspiracy, saying they have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.