New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Alex Jones denied delay in Sandy Hook defamation suit
NEWTOWN – Extremist Alex Jones has been denied a request to delay the
Sandy Hook defamation case while he appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court that his ‘blood in the streets’ rant against ‘enemies’ behind the lawsuit was protected free speech.
The Connecticut Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Jones’ request for a delay in the defamation case is another victory for eight Sandy Hook families suing the Texas-based Infowars host for calling the 2012 massacre of 26 first-graders and educators “staged,” “synthetic,” “manufactured,” “a giant hoax,” and “completely fake with actors.”
“We’re pleased that the court denied the latest attempts by Mr. Jones to delay justice,” said one of the families’ attorneys, Chris Mattei. “We look forward to putting Mr. Jones under oath, exposing his efforts to profit off the Sandy Hook tragedy and subjecting him to the judgment of a Connecticut jury.”
Jones’ attorney on Thursday responded that the Connecticut Supreme Court ruling didn’t change the merits of Jones’ appeal to the nation’s highest court.
“We intend nonetheless to seek relief from the United States Supreme Court,” said Norm Pattis.
The setback for Jones is the latest development in a legal battle that made headlines last summer when Jones went on the air and delivered a profanity-laden call-to-war against his “enemies” behind the Sandy Hook defamation suit.
“And so, if they want war – you know, it’s not a threat,” Jones said during the 2019 broadcast, according to court transcripts. “If you want blood, you’ve got it. Blood on the streets, man...”
State Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis, who had previously warned Jones that she would sanction him if he continued to miss deadlines to turn over pretrial material to the families, responded by barring Jones from pursuing what he considers a key line of defense - a statute designed to keep frivolous lawsuits from chilling people’s First Amendment rights.
Jones appealed Bellis’ sanctions to Connecticut Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court decision in July.
The Connecticut Supreme Court quoted liberally from Jones’ 2019 rant in its ruling to uphold Bellis’ sanctions.
“And I’m just asking the Pentagon and the patriots that are left, and 4chan and 8chan, and Anonymous, anybody (who’s) a patriot, I am under attack, and if they bring me down, they’ll bring you down,” Jones said, according to the court transcript. “I’m under attack. And I summon the mean war. I summon all of it against the enemy.”
Pattis responded by asking Connecticut Supreme Court in one motion to delay the pretrial proceedings in Superior Court while Jones appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a second motion Pattis asked the Connecticut Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.
The Connecticut Supreme Court denied both motions on Sept. 15 without explanation.
Pattis said he planned to file an appeal with U.S. Supreme Court by late October.
Meanwhile pretrial preparations will continue in state Superior Court.
Jones, who is being sued in separate defamation cases by Sandy Hook families in Texas, has argued in court that he no longer believes that the worst crime in Connecticut history was a hoax.
The families don’t agree. “This lawsuit seeks to hold Alex Jones and his financial network accountable for his sustained attacks on shattered families and help prevent families of similar tragedies from enduring needless additional pain,” Mattei said on Thursday.