The Highest Court in the US Denies Alex Jones Appeal on Substantial $1.4bn Damages Award
The US supreme court has refused an legal challenge from Alex Jones and maintained his $1.4 billion libel judgment that was granted to the victims' relatives from the mass shooting at Sandy Hook.
Case History of the Court Ruling
The Infowars founder had sought to overturn the judgment, which he was directed to settle after he made false claims about the school shooting.
Jones had previously claimed the shooting in Newtown where 20 children and six adults were killed was a fabrication performed by actors to push for firearms restrictions.
The Sandy Hook victims' survivors reported that Jones's lies spurred threats from his supporters, making it difficult for them to move forward from the devastating event.
Court Action
The supreme court did not provide a reason for its determination, according to its orders list published on October 14th.
As part of his appeal submitted in last month, Jones argued that a judge was incorrect to hold him responsible for false statements and causing psychological harm without holding a trial.
Jones insisted that the $1.4bn judgment "is an amount that can never be paid", adding that "the result is a monetary destruction by fiat imposed on a broadcaster whose show attracts large audiences".
Bankruptcy Proceedings
Jones and Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, entered Chapter 11 in recently after the substantial penalty resulting from legal actions brought in multiple states.
A year later into his monetary records revealed that he had moved funds worth millions of dollars beyond legal access as lawsuits from the affected parties along with court sanctions accumulated against him over the past years.
Meanwhile, in June, the legal representative handling Jones's personal bankruptcy case accused him of trying to conceal substantial funds from creditors.
Legal Response
In a response on the supreme court's ruling, the families' attorney, an lawyer acting for the affected parties, said: "The judicial body appropriately dismissed his recent effort to evade consequences for the distress he has caused. We look forward to carrying out the significant ruling and making Jones and Infowars pay for what they have perpetrated."
