Alex Jones Ordered To Pay Damages To Sandy Hook Families Over False Claims

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A judge has ruled that Alex Jones is legally responsible in two lawsuits filed by the families of the children who were killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

After the shooting, Jones falsely claimed the shooting was a "giant hoax" orchestrated by people who oppose the second amendment. His comments caused the families emotional distress following years of harassment by fans of Jones' radio show.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled that Jones, and his parent company, Free Speech Systems, "intentionally disobeyed" orders to provide documents related to the lawsuits.

"The Court finds that Defendants' failure to comply ... is greatly aggravated by [their] consistent pattern of discovery abuse throughout similar cases pending before this Court," Gamble wrote. "The Court finds that Defendants' discovery conduct, in this case, is the result of flagrant bad faith and callous disregard for the responsibilities of discovery under the rules."

The judge wrote that Jones has continually refused to cooperate despite losing several other defamation lawsuits.

"An escalating series of judicial admonishments, monetary penalties, and non-dispositive sanctions have all been ineffective at deterring the abuse," Gamble wrote.

A jury will be convened to determine the amount of damages that Jones must pay.

Jones' legal team blasted the judge's decision in a statement.

"It takes no account of the tens of thousands of documents produced by the defendants, the hours spent sitting for depositions, and the various sworn statements filed in these cases," the statement said. "We are distressed by what we regard as a blatant abuse of discretion by the trial court. We are determined to see that these cases are heard on the merits."


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