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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 13 OcTOber 2022
Alex Jones ordered to pay $965 million for Sandy Hook lies

By DAVE COLLINS claimed it was a conspira-
Associated Press cy by Democrats and the
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — media to silence him and
The conspiracy theorist Alex put him out of business.
Jones should pay $965 mil- “I’ve already said ‘I’m sorry’
lion to people who suffered hundreds of times and I’m
from his false claim that done saying I’m sorry,” he
the Sandy Hook Elemen- said during his testimony.
tary School shooting was a Twenty children and six
hoax, a jury in Connecticut adults died in the shooting
decided Wednesday. on Dec. 14, 2012. The defa-
The verdict is the second mation trial was held at a
big judgment against the courthouse in Waterbury,
Infowars host over his re- about 20 miles (32 kilome-
lentless promotion of the ters) from Newtown, where
lie that the 2012 massacre the attack took place.
never happened, and that The lawsuit accused Jones
the grieving families seen in and Infowars’ parent com-
news coverage were ac- pany, Free Speech Systems,
tors hired as part of a plot to of using the mass killing to
take away people’s guns. build his audience and
It came in a lawsuit filed make millions of dollars. Ex-
by the relatives of five chil- perts testified that Jones’
dren and three educators audience swelled when he
killed in the mass shooting, made Sandy Hook a topic
plus an FBI agent who was Infowars founder Alex Jones appears in court to testify during the Sandy Hook defamation on the show, as did his rev-
among the first responders damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. enue from product sales.
to the scene. A Texas jury in Associated Press In both the Texas lawsuit
August awarded nearly $50 testimony from parents and daughter of slain Sandy had been wrong about and the one in Connecti-
million to the parents of an- siblings of the victims, who Hook principal Dawn Hoch- Sandy Hook. The shooting cut, judges found the com-
other slain child. told about how they were sprung, testified that peo- was real, he said. But both pany liable for damages by
Some plaintiffs hugged in threatened and harassed ple mailed rape threats to in the courtroom and on his default after Jones failed to
the courtroom after the for years by people who her house. Mark Barden show, he was defiant. cooperate with court rules
verdict was read. Jones believed the lies told on told of how conspiracy the- He called the proceed- on sharing evidence, in-
wasn’t there, but live video Jones’ show. orists had urinated on the ings a “kangaroo court,” cluding failing to turn over
from the court played on a Strangers showed up at grave of his 7-year-old son, mocked the judge, called records that might have
split screen on his Infowars their homes to record Daniel, and threatened to the plaintiffs’ lawyer an showed whether Infowars
show. “Hey, folks, don’t go them. People hurled abu- dig up the coffin. ambulance chaser and la- had profited from knowing-
buying big homes,” he said. sive comments on social Testifying during the trial, beled the case an affront ly spreading misinformation
The trial featured tearful media. Erica Lafferty, the Jones acknowledged he to free speech rights. He about mass killings.q

Judge: Trump must sit for deposition in defamation lawsuit

By LARRY NEUMEISTER “We look forward to estab- “and moving forward to given the “advanced age” the case.
Associated Press lishing on the record that trial with all dispatch.” of Carroll, 78, and Trump, The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of
NEW YORK (AP) — Former this case is, and always has Trump’s legal team has 76, and perhaps other wit- Appeals said in a split deci-
President Donald Trump will been, entirely without mer- tried various legal tactics nesses. sion last month that Trump
have to answer questions it.” to delay the lawsuit and “The defendant should not was a federal employee
under oath next week in a Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s prevent him from being be permitted to run the when he commented on
defamation lawsuit lodged attorney, said she was questioned by Carroll’s at- clock out on plaintiff’s at- Carroll’s claims.
by a writer who says he pleased with the ruling and torneys, but Judge Kaplan tempt to gain a remedy for But it asked another court
raped her in the mid-1990s, looked forward to filing the wrote that it was time to what allegedly was a seri- in Washington to decide
a judge ruled Wednesday. new claims next month move forward, especially ous wrong,” he wrote. whether Trump’s public
U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Carroll’s lawsuit claims that statements occurred dur-
Kaplan rejected a request Trump damaged her repu- ing the scope of his em-
by Trump’s lawyers that tation in 2019 when he de- ployment.
the planned testimony be nied raping her. Trump’s le- Kaplan, the judge, said
delayed. The deposition is gal team has been trying to Trump has repeatedly tried
now scheduled for Oct. 19. squash the suit by arguing to delay the collection of
The decision came in a that the Republican was evidence in the lawsuit.
lawsuit brought by E. Jean just doing his job as presi- “Given his conduct so far
Carroll, a longtime advice dent when he denied the in this case, Mr. Trump’s
columnist for Elle maga- allegations, including when position regarding the bur-
zine, who says Trump raped he dismissed his accuser as dens of discovery is inex-
her in an upscale Manhat- “not my type.” cusable,” he wrote. “As
tan department store’s That’s a key question be- this Court previously has
dressing room. Trump has cause if Trump was acting observed, Mr. Trump has liti-
denied it. Carroll is sched- within the scope of his du- gated this case since it be-
uled to be deposed Friday. Columnist E. Jean Carroll leaves federal court, on Feb. 22, 2022, ties as a federal employee, gan in 2019 with the effect
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Hab- in New York. the U.S. government would and probably the purpose
ba, said in a statement: Associated Press become the defendant in of delaying it.”q