HARTFORD, Conn. — The judge presiding over Alex Jones’ defamation trial in Waterbury imposed another punishing sanction even before evidence began Tuesday, prohibiting him from using analytics of his website sales to argue to jurors that he didn’t profit from his denial of the Sandy Hook school massacre.
Whether Jones profited by his denials over his internet and broadcast platforms is expected to be a point of contention in whatever compensation the jury awards relatives of the nine victims and one first responder suing Jones.
Lawyers for the victim families told Judge Barbara Bellis that they obtained a copy of the analytic materials last week after Jones had long denied having or using the materials. Bellis said Jones’ failure to comply with legal requirements to disclose the internet sales analysis is part of a pattern of failing to comply with court orders.
“This stunningly cavalier attitude with respect to their discovery obligations is what led to the default in the first place.”
Bellis was referring to her default ruling last year that effectively settled the question of Jones’ liability in favor of the victim families. It was an extraordinary legal sanction or punishment of Jones for abusing court procedure and ignoring her orders to participate in reciprocal exchanges of information with the victims.
The ruling found for the victims on a central point of their suit — that Jones’ false broadcasts were the cause of the harassment and mental anguish experienced by the victim families. Jones’ and Inforwars cannot defend themselves under the default finding, but can try to minimize what they have to pay in compensatory and punitive damages.
The litigation over Jones’ liability has been unusually contentious since the victim families sued in 2018 and that contention spilled over into opening settlements from Jones and the victim.
Attorney Christopher Mattei, who argued for the victims, urged the jury to find that Jones intentionally set out to defame and harm the families by broadcasting falsehoods about the tragedy. He asked the jury to return a damages verdict greater enough to put Jones out of business for good.
“Where will be be the next time this happens,” Mattei asked.
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