The trial comes a month after a Texas jury ruled that Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, the parent of the fringe media organization Infowars, should award two parents nearly $50 million. Jones falsely told his audience in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that the incident was staged. He has since acknowledged that the shooting took place, but only after the charges were filed. He said in a 2019 affidavit that a “form of psychosis” caused him to make his false comments. In the Connecticut case, where Jones is being sued by eight more Sandy Hook families, Judge Barbara Bellis entered a default judgment against the Infowars founder in November 2021 after he failed to comply with court orders. Because the judge already found Jones liable, the jury determines the amount of damages to award the plaintiffs. Although the families have not specified a dollar amount, an attorney for the families asked the jury last week to “send a message” to the public with its decision. Plaintiffs in three Connecticut lawsuits against Jones, including family members of eight students and employees and an FBI agent who responded to the scene, have all joined the trial that began earlier this month. Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, argued during the trial that Jones pushed the Sandy Hook lie because it was profitable. Norman Pattis, Jones’ attorney, has argued that the Sandy Hook plaintiffs’ claims are “overblown.” Pattis also said Sandy Hook families have “become partisans” and said the defense will argue that the damage has been overstated “because they want to keep quiet [Jones] for political reasons”.
