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...
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