AUSTIN, Texas — Facing a possible $150 million verdict and two more damages lawsuits for defaming the families of people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones shut down its Infowars empire on Friday. in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Last year, Mr. Jones lost four defamation lawsuits filed by the families of 10 people killed in the December 14, 2012 shooting at Newtown, Conn. Shortly after the shooting, he began spreading the false theory that the shooting was staged by the government as a pretext to confiscate Americans’ firearms, and that the families were complicit in the plot. The families have suffered for years under the torment of people who believe these false claims.
Judges in Texas and Connecticut has held Mr Jones liable by default for defying court orders. The losses formed the basis for the three jury trials for damages. The first test started last week in Austin. In it, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse Lewis, 6, died in the massacre, have demanded $150 million in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages. Mr. Jones and a sidekick, Owen Shroyer, suggested to Infowars that Mr. Heslin’s memory of detaining his son shortly after his murder was a lie.
On Friday, Travis County Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ordered the trial to continue until a ruling, despite the bankruptcy filing, which would otherwise have halted the trial.
Lawyers for the families say the bankruptcy filing is another chance to delay claims in the two remaining cases: one won in Texas by Lenny Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose son Noah Pozner died in Sandy Hook; and the second won in Connecticut by the families of eight Sandy Hook victims. The remaining trials were scheduled for September, and jury selection in the Connecticut case was set to begin next week.
The Massacre at the Sandy Hook School
“Just two days before jury selection begins in Connecticut, Mr. Jones has once again fled to bankruptcy court like a coward in a transparent effort to delay confronting the families he has hurt for years,” said Chris Mattei, attorney for the court. Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut case, said in a statement.
“These families,” his statement continued, “have an endless well of patience and remain determined to hold Mr. Jones accountable in a Connecticut court.”
The bankruptcy filing was in the name of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars. The petition states that Free Speech Systems has $14 million in assets and $79 million in liabilities. On its creditors list, the company names several individuals and companies with legal claims against Mr. Jones and Infowars, including for defamation.
mr. Jones has raised millions from his followers for his legal defense by begging for their help on his radio and online show. Contributions include a anonymous donation of $8 million in cryptocurrency that Mr. Jones said last week that he had already spent. Infowars says it has spent $15 million on legal bills in the Sandy Hook cases, according to Friday’s filing.
Eric Taube, the Texas attorney who helped build the network of Infowars companies that the Sandy Hook families’ attorneys say are critical to helping Mr. Jones protect his company from the jury’s verdicts, declined. to comment on Saturday.