Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones’ appeal of $1.4 billion defamation

Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday turned away an appeal by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over a $1.4 billion defamation judgment against him for his false claims that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax.

In rejecting Jones’ case, the Supreme Court leaves in place the record-breaking sum he was ordered to pay after he was found liable in 2021 for damages in lawsuits brought by the families of children who were killed in the massacre. Jones had separately asked the high court last week for emergency relief while it considered whether to take up his case. 

A six-person Connecticut jury had agreed in 2022 that Jones should pay $965 million to the families as compensation for defamation, infliction of emotional distress and violations of a Connecticut law. A state court judge added on another $474 million in punitive damages one month later.

Jones’ lawyers told the Supreme Court in a filing that the more than $1.4 billion “can never be paid.” 

Jones, the founder of InfoWars, had repeatedly claimed that the 2012 shooting that killed 20 students and six teachers was staged by “crisis actors” as part of a plan to enact more restrictive gun laws. Relatives of the victims and an FBI agent testified during the defamation trial that they were threatened and harassed by Jones’ listeners who believed his lies about the massacre.

In a different lawsuit brought in Texas, Jones testified that the shooting was “100% real.” Still, he had slammed the Connecticut trial as a “kangaroo court” and argued it violated his free speech rights.

Jones and Free Speech Systems, his company, filed for bankruptcy protection after he was ordered to pay the families, and the satirical publication The Onion tried to purchase InfoWars at a bankruptcy auction for an undisclosed price last year. But a bankruptcy judge rejected the sale of InfoWars to The Onion last December. Jones’ lawyers said there is still an effort underway for InfoWars to be sold.