Jones, founder of the right-wing website Infowars, claimed the shooting, in which 20 children and six school employees were shot dead at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, was fabricated by gun-control advocates and mainstream media.In response, several parents sued Jones and Infowars, as well as its parent company, for defamation in both Austin, Texas and in Waterbury, Connecticut. Infowars is based in Texas.
Connecticut Superior Court JudgeBarbara Bellis ruled that Jones had defaulted on the case by refusing to turn over documents she ordered regarding whether his companies profited from publishing the false claim, Attorney Chris Mattei said in a statement. "Mr. Jones was given every opportunity to comply but, when he chose instead to withhold evidence for more than two years, the Court was left with no choice but to rule as it did today," said Mattei, whose firm, Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, represents families of the Sandy Hook victims.
"While the families are grateful for the court's ruling, they remain focused on uncovering the truth," he said.The ruling follows a trio of losses for Jones in Texas on Oct. 1 when a judge presiding over other defamation suits also found that he had failed to comply with court orders to hand over documents to the parents of children killed in the attack.
In a deposition linked to one of the Texas suits, Jones eventually acknowledged the massacre had occurred, though he denied wronging the children's parents.Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by Grant McCool and David GregorioSubscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.
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