InfoWars leader Alex Jones will soon find out how much he must pay parents of students murdered in the Sandy Hook School shooting in 2012. Jury selection began on Monday for the case regarding the talk show host’s admittedly false profession to listeners that the shootings were a hoax.
The trial is in Austin, where the media personality lives and broadcasts. After months of postponement, Jones was fined for violating court orders. He declared InfoWars bankrupt just before the trial began in April, The Dallas Express reported, but later withdrew the case.
Another potentially significant financial blow could jeopardize more of Jones’ businesses. He has been barred from using YouTube, Facebook, and Spotify due to alleged violations of those companies’ hate-speech policies.
The families of eight of the victims’ families seeking damages and an FBI agent who responded to the school have filed a lawsuit against Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems.
Jones’ trial involving the parents of two Sandy Hook families is one of a few ongoing litigations. Damages in separate defamation cases for other Sandy Hook families have yet to be awarded.
Jones has already been found liable for defamation in Texas and Connecticut for portraying the Sandy Hook massacre as a hoax involving actors to increase gun restrictions. Jones was given default judgments in both states without a trial because he failed to respond to court orders and turn over documents, reported CNN.
Jones has since confessed his belief that the shooting occurred. He further insisted during an April deposition that he was not responsible for the suffering that Sandy Hook’s parents say they have endured because of his news coverage, including alleged death threats and harassment from Jones’ fans.
“No, I don’t (accept) responsibility because I wasn’t trying to cause pain and suffering,” said Jones, according to ABC News. “And this is — they are being used and their children who can’t be brought back [are] being used to destroy the First Amendment.”
According to court records, Jones’s InfoWars store, which sells nutritional supplements and survival gear, made more than $165 million between 2015 and 2018. Jones has also encouraged InfoWars listeners to donate money, ABC News reports.
