Alex Jones trial - live: Conspiracy theorist sanctioned for Sandy Hook Google Analytics discovery delays

A Connecticut jury is slated to begin hearing evidence to decide how much Conservative radio host Alex Jones should pay out to the family of victims killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting after he continued to peddle the conspiracy theory that the mass shooting that left 26 children and teachers dead was a hoax.

Mr Jones is not expected to attend the first day in the Waterbury courtroom on Tuesday but told his radio audience on Monday night that he plans to travel to Connecticut next week for the proceedings which are expected to feature testimony from both him and victims’ families.

Tuesday marks the second trial for Jones, who was last month ordered by a Texas jury to pay nearly $50m to the parents of one of the slain children.

The second trial will be composed of a six-member jury and several alternates who will ultimately decide how much the conspiracy theorist should pay relatives of eight victims and an FBI agent who responded to the school.

Judge Barbara Bellis found Jones liable without a trial last year after he failed to turn over documents to the families’ lawyers.

15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

With housekeeping matters largely dealt with, the court takes its mid-morning recess ahead of bringing in the jury and beginning opening statements.

Interestingly, Judge Bellis has ruled that sidebars in the trial can be live-streamed.

15:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Further, Judge Bellis sanctions the Jones defence by precluding them from presenting evidence that they did not profit from the coverage of Sandy Hook.

Judge accuses defence of being obstructive in discovery.

15:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Bellis is not happy with the defence team for Mr Jones, saying that they have “consistently engaged in obstructive discovery practices”.

Mr Jones’ lawyers repeatedly said they did not have any Google Analytics data relating to Sandy Hook. They then provided the data on Friday.

Who are the plaintiffs?

15:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Plaintiffs in the Connecticut civil trial are relatives of:

Daniel Barden, 7Dylan Hockley, 6Emilie Parker, 6Avielle Richman, 6Benjamin Wheeler, 6School principal Dawn Hochsprung, 47School psychologist Mary Sherlach, 56Teacher Victoria Leigh Soto, 27FBI agent William Aldenberg is another plaintiff

Court proceedings begin

15:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Barbara Bellis has begun proceedings in the court at Waterbury, Connecticut, about 18 miles from Newtown, where the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings took place.

Both sides are dealing with housekeeping items before the six-person jury and several alternates are brought in.

This case has the potential for a larger award than last month’s trial in Texas because it involves three consolidated lawsuits that were filed by 15 plaintiffs, including the relatives of nine of the victims and a former FBI agent who responded to the school shooting.

The trial, expected to last four weeks, will likely mirror the Texas case with much of the testimony coming from victims’ relatives regarding the pain and anguish they suffered as a result of Alex Jones’ hoax conspiracy allegations.

ICYMI: Alex Jones lawyer takes the Fifth during Sandy Hook hearing

15:00 , Johanna Chisholm

A lawyer for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones invoked his right against self-incrimination late last month during a civil court hearing in Connecticut over the possible improper disclosure of confidential medical records of relatives of some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.

New Haven-based attorney Norman Pattis refused to answer questions citing his Fifth Amendment rights during a hearing on whether he should be disciplined for giving the confidential records to unauthorised persons — other lawyers for Jones in Texas. He has denied any wrongdoing. A judge did not decide if any discipline is warranted.

The hearing was connected to the Connecticut lawsuit filed by Sandy Hook families against Jones for calling the 2012 shooting that killed 20 children and six educators in Newtown a hoax. State Judge Barabara Bellis in Waterbury found Jones liable for damages in November 2021 and the jury trial over how much he should pay is set to begin Tuesday.

Read the full report from The Independent here:

Alex Jones lawyer takes the Fifth during Sandy Hook hearing

Jones sarcastically claims he killed Sandy Hook victims in unhinged rant about defamation verdict

14:00 , Johanna Chisholm

Infowars host Alex Jones sarcastically claimed he killed Sandy Hook victims in an unhinged rant about the $50m defamation verdict that a Texas jury made against him.

Jones made the inflammatory comments, his first since losing a defamation case brought by the family of one of the school children murdered in the mass shooting, during an interview with YouTube journalist Andrew Callaghan.

In the interview, a seemingly frustrated Jones responded to a question about the shooting by claiming personal responsibility for the deaths of the 20 children and six adults killed in the 2012 massacre in Connecticut.

Jones, a right-wing conspiracy theorist, was asked by Callaghan, “Do you feel responsible for what happened to the Sandy Hook families?”

“Yes, I killed the children,” Jones replied antagonistically to the question as Callaghan tried to get him to answer it seriously.

Continue reading the full report from my colleague Graeme Massie below:

Alex Jones sarcastically claims he killed Sandy Hook victims in unhinged rant

No cap on punitive damages in Jones’ second trial

13:30 , Johanna Chisholm

The Connecticut lawsuit alleges defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the state Unfair Trade Practices Act. The families claim when Jones talked about Sandy Hook, he boosted his audience and raked in more profits from selling supplements, clothing and other items.

The families have not asked for any specific amount of damages, some of which may be limited by state laws. There are no damage limits, however, under the Unfair Trade Practices Act.

In all the Connecticut and Texas cases, Jones and his lawyers repeatedly failed to turn over records as required to the families’ attorneys. In response, judges handed down one of the harshest sanctions in the civil legal world — they found Jones liable for damages by default without trials.

Alex Jones accused of hiding millions of dollars to avoid paying Sandy Hook families

13:00 , Johanna Chisholm

Alex Jones was accused of hiding millions of dollars in an attempt to avoid paying damages to the families of victims of the Sandy Hook massacre who were terrorised for years because of his lies.

The families of nine victims killed in the 2012 mass shooting filed court documents last month alleging that the far-right conspiracy theorist “systematically transferred millions of dollars” to himself, his relatives and companies that he owns – all the while claiming he was bankrupt and unable to pay his debts.

In the filing, the families say Mr Jones claimed that his company Free Speech Systems – the parent company of his conspiracy theorist website and radio show Infowars – owes an “enormous debt” of more than $50m to a company called PQPR Holdings.

But, according to the filing, the company is owned by Mr Jones’ parents and 72 per cent of the payments to the firm actually go to Mr Jones and his family.

In the summer of 2021 – when Mr Jones lost lawsuits brought by families in both Texas and Connecticut – he allegedly siphoned off between $11,000 a day and $11,000 a week from Free Speech Systems to PQPR, the court filing claims.

During the lawsuits, up to $62m has been transferred from Free Speech Systems, the families claim.

Keep reading the full report from The Independent’s Rachel Sharp below:

Alex Jones accused of hiding millions of dollars to avoid paying Sandy Hook families

Jones claimed ‘Deep State’ would stage mass shootings to steal midterms - weeks after admitting Sandy Hook lies

12:00 , Johanna Chisholm

ICYMI: Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has absurdly warned that leftist “Deep State” globalists are plotting to stage false flag violent events to win the midterm elections for Democrats last month - just weeks after he publicly admitted to making false claims about the Sandy Hook massacre being a hoax.

Speaking on his Infowars show, Mr Jones asserted that the “Deep State” would blame staged violence on far-right groups in an effort to take over the country in the run-up to the midterm elections.

“Racially-motivated mass shootings, bombings, poisonings… attacks on the power supply being blamed on the right wing... They intend to bring in a full dictatorship in the next 71 days,” he said on his Infowars show, adding that globalists want “a civil war that brings down America, and you’ll be the fall guy”.

Read the full report from my colleague Oliver O’Connell below:

Alex Jones absurdly claims ‘Deep State’ will stage mass shootings to steal midterms

ICYMI: Jones remains defiant after court orders him to pay millions; blames George Soros

11:24 , Johanna Chisholm

Last month, almost immediately after being ordered to pay nearly $50m to grieving Sandy Hook parents, Alex Jones returned to the airwaves to insist the decks were stacked against him as he blamed George Soros and “operatives” for his legal troubles.

“This is beyond any kangaroo rigged court ever,” he said, while claiming that billionaire philanthropist Soros and an unnamed cabal had “coordinated and run” a campaign against him. Mr Jones also took aim at testifying economist Bernard Pettingill Jr and Judge Maya Guerra Gamble.

Despite admitting in court that the 2012 mass shooting happened – in contrast to his years of claims otherwise and his deer-in-the-headlights expression when caught out in a lie – Mr Jones’ trademark bullish demeanour was almost a character itself throughout the trial.

Continue reading more about Jones’ response to last month’s trial from my colleague Sheila Flynn:

Alex Jones stays defiant after court orders him to pay millions; blames George Soros

Why Alex Jones is headed to trial again over his Sandy Hook conspiracies – and what it could cost him

11:19 , Johanna Chisholm

Conspiracy theorist and conservative radio host Alex Jones is going back to trial a month after a judge ordered he pay nearly $50m for damages caused by his insistence that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax.

Jones has already been found liable for causing emotional and psychological harm to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Following the attack, he made numerous claims suggesting the shooting was a hoax intended to help justify a government-led confiscation of Americans’ guns.

The current case is a consolidation of three lawsuits brought by 15 plaintiffs. The relatives of eight victims and a former FBI agent who worked the shooting are bringing their case for damages against Jones.

Because the cases is a consolidation of three lawsuits it is possible that the damages Jones is forced to pay may significantly exceed the $49.3m he was previously ordered to pay.

Continue reading the full briefing from my colleague Graig Graziosi here:

Why Alex Jones is headed to trial again over his Sandy Hook conspiracy theories

Live coverage of Alex Jones’ second trial

11:17 , Johanna Chisholm

Welcome to the live blog coverage of Alex Jones’ second trial, which will begin in the morning on 13 September 2022 at a Waterbury, Connecticut courthouse.

Follow along here for live reporting of the trial.