Infowars host found liable for damages in November
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones addresses his thoughts on Sandy Hook shooting being a hoax
Family members of those killed in the Sandy Hook mass school shooting rejected an offer on Tuesday to settle their defamation lawsuit against Infowars host Alex Jones.
The conspiracy theorist, who had previously claimed the shooting was a “hoax”, offered a cash settlement on Tuesday.
He said in a filing in Connecticut court on Tuesday he was offering a “heartfelt apology” and $120,000 per plaintiff to end the case.
“It’s time for the litigation to end,” Jones’s attorney Norm Pattis told Law&Crime. “The shooting took place almost 10 years ago.”
The popular right-wing host was found liable for damages in November in Connecticut court and is awaiting a trial in May to determine the scope of payment.
Lawyers for the families quickly shut down the offer, telling the Associated Press on Tuesday the settlement was a “transparent and desperate attempt by Alex Jones to escape a public reckoning under oath with his deceitful, profit-driven campaign against the plaintiffs and the memory of their loved ones lost at Sandy Hook.”
The Independent has reached out to Jones for comment.
It’s the latest twist in the lawsuit, after Jones defied a court order last week to sit for a deposition near his home in Austin, Texas, ahead of the trial.
A hearing is scheduled Wednesday where the court will consider sanctioning Jones.
Jones had sought to delay the deposition, citing doctors who said he was too sick to attend despite the fact that he continued hosting his Infowars show.
In 2012, gunman Adam Lanza killed twenty first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The families of eight of the victims, as well an FBI agent who responded to the shooting, sued Jones, his right-wing news network Infowars, and others who claimed the shooting wasn’t real.
In their suit, they said Jones’s false claims led to them receiving death threats and online harassment from Infowars fans.
After the shooting, Jones claimed on his radio show and Infowars programme that the killings were a “giant hoax” and a faked “false flag” operation, engineered by the government to bring about stricter gun control and the end of the Second Amendment.
Jones later changed course and said the shooting, the worst crime in modern Connecticut history, did occur.
Jones was found liable in a similar suit filed in Texas, and will face trial this year.
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
Already have an account? sign in
