Washington — On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court officially denied Alex Jones’ appeal related to a hefty defamation verdict of $1.4 billion. This ruling arose from his baseless assertions that the infamous 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was fabricated.
By turning down Jones’ case, the Supreme Court has upheld the groundbreaking financial penalties imposed on him after he was found liable in 2021 for defamatory statements in lawsuits filed by families of victims from the tragic shooting. In a recent last-ditch effort, Jones requested emergency relief from the justice system while awaiting the Court’s decision; however, Justice Sonia Sotomayor blocked his attempt to delay the payout on Monday. It seems the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear his case solidified this outcome.
A jury from Connecticut previously ruled in 2022 that Jones owed $965 million to the victims’ families for defamation, emotional distress, and violations related to state laws. Not long after, a judge in state court slapped on an additional $474 million in punitive damages.
In their argument to the Supreme Court, Jones’ legal team alleged that paying over $1.4 billion was an unfeasible burden.
As the founder of InfoWars, Jones had persistently claimed that the 2012 massacre—which claimed the lives of 20 children and six educators—was a hoax created by “crisis actors” meant to promote stricter gun control. Victims’ relatives and an FBI agent testified during his defamation trial about the harassment they faced from Jones’ followers who believed his false narrative.
Interestingly, in a different lawsuit brought in Texas, Jones eventually acknowledged the shooting was “100% real.” Regardless, he fiercely criticized the Connecticut trial, labeling it as a “kangaroo court” and maintaining that it violated his free speech rights.
Following the verdict, both Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, sought bankruptcy protection after the damning ruling. Last year, a satirical outlet, The Onion, even attempted to buy InfoWars during a bankruptcy auction. Unfortunately for them, a bankruptcy judge stopped the sale of InfoWars to the publication last December. Nevertheless, Jones’ attorneys stated there are ongoing efforts to find a buyer for InfoWars.
