Sandy Hook families agree to drop InfoWars as defendant in defamation suit against Alex Jones
Families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims have agreed to drop Alex Jones’ InfoWars as a defendant in their defamation lawsuit in a bid to push past its bankruptcy filing and resume their case in trial court.
The far-right radio host filed for bankruptcy protection for three of his companies — Prison Planet TV, IW Health as well as InfoWars — after he was found liable for damages in suits filed in both Texas and Connecticut by the families of those killed in the 2012 massacre.
When an entity files for bankruptcy protection, it automatically suspends all pending litigation.
In a filing obtained by ABC News on Monday, several of the families accused Jones of “intolerable abuse,” calling his bankruptcy filings a “charade” meant to delay the trial, which is aimed at determining how much he will pay each of the complainants.
“Every day that these cases are frozen on the Connecticut Superior Court docket is a day that Alex Jones avoids accountability and delays trial,” the document states. “Every day they are removed harms these families’ fight for justice.”
On Dec. 14, 2012, gunman Adam Lanza shot and killed a total of 26 people inside a classroom at the Newtown, Conn., elementary school, including 20 students and six teachers. In the wake of the violence, Jones took to the internet to preach his conspiracy theories, including that the school shooting was a hoax and that crisis actors were used to further the narrative.
The plaintiffs have said they were subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers, many of who believed his claims. The internet personality has since said he believes the shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary.
With News Wire Services
