In a decisive move, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, according to AP News, leaving in place a massive $1.4 billion defamation judgment against him for falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
The judgment stems from a lawsuit brought by relatives of the 26 people—20 children and six school staff—killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, tragedy. Jones had repeatedly spread false claims that the massacre was staged using “crisis actors,” accusations that were found to be defamatory and deeply injurious to the families.
Because Jones and his media company, Infowars, repeatedly refused to comply with court-ordered evidence disclosures, the trial judge entered a default ruling establishing liability without a full merits trial. A jury later determined damages: approximately $964 million in compensatory awards, followed by an additional $473 million in punitive damages.
On appeal, a Connecticut appellate court upheld much of the award, though it modified portions of the punitive damages, according to Reuters and The Guardian. Jones then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the proceedings deprived him of due process and free speech protections.
The Supreme Court issued its denial without comment and without requesting responses from the Sandy Hook families. By declining to hear the case, the high court effectively leaves intact the lower courts’ rulings and the full judgment against Jones.
While Supreme Court denials do not necessarily reflect judgments on the merits, this refusal signals that, for now, Jones’ legal options in the federal system are exhausted.
Because Jones filed for bankruptcy in late 2022, the Sandy Hook families have struggled to collect on the judgment. Courts have been trying to unwind Jones’ assets—especially those tied to Infowars—to satisfy the debt.
One notable development involves a bankruptcy court’s attempt to auction off Infowars’ assets. The Onion, a satirical news outlet, was initially declared the winning bidder, but that sale was later nullified due to procedural concerns. Jones is also separately appealing a $49 million defamation judgment in Texas tied to Sandy Hook claims.
The refusal by the Supreme Court also strengthens the legal standing of the families and plaintiffs to continue pressing collection procedures in state courts.
Victims’ families and their legal teams welcomed the decision as a milestone. “The court’s ruling brings the Connecticut families another step closer to holding Alex Jones accountable,” said Alinor Sterling, an attorney representing them.
Jones’ legal counsel, in contrast, strongly disagreed. They had argued that the default ruling was imposed for what they described as “trivial” procedural missteps and that the massive judgment violates First Amendment protections for speech, especially for a public figure.
Earlier, Jones had publicly apologized and acknowledged the shooting was “100 % real,” but his legal strategy continued to focus on procedural and constitutional claims, according to The Guardian.
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