The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

‘Infowars’ host wants Sandy Hook suit tossed

Jones says he was acting as journalist, not deriding victims.

- By Pat Eaton-Robb

HARTFORD, CONN. — Rightwing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has moved to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by the families of some of the 26 people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.

In written arguments filed Friday, Jones, who said he believes the Connecticu­t shooting happened, argued he was acting as a journalist when he questioned on his talk show “Infowars” the official narrative given by police and government officials.

“Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein relied on allegation­s from ‘Deep Throat’ to link the Nixon Administra­tion to the Watergate break-in,” his lawyers wrote in filing for a dismissal. “Such journalism, questionin­g official narratives, would be chilled if reporters were subject to liability if they turned out to be wrong,”

A gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators at the Newtown, Connecticu­t, school on Dec. 14, 2012.

Several families filed suit in April in state Superior Court, saying that Jones’ comments questionin­g the shooting have tormented them and subjected them to harassment and death threats by his followers, some of whom have accused them of being crisis actors.

“The First Amendment simply does not protect false statements about the parents of one of the worst tragedies in our nation’s history,” Bill Bloss, an attorney who represents the families said in a statement Monday. “Any effort by any of the defendants to avoid responsibi­lity for the harm that they have inflicted will be unsuccessf­ul.”

The plaintiffs include the parents of four children killed at the school — Daniel Barden, Dylan Hockley, Ben Wheeler and Avielle Richman. Also suing are relatives of two slain educators — school Principal Dawn Hochsprung and first-grade teacher Victoria Soto. FBI agent William Aldenberg, one of the first responders to the scene, also is a plaintiff.

The lawsuits seek monetary and punitive damages, attorney fees and other costs. They do not say exactly how much money the families are seeking

In separate lawsuits filed in Texas, where Jones’ “Infowars” media company is based, the parents of slain children Jesse Lewis and Noah Pozner sued Jones seeking more than $1 million in damages for alleged defamation.

Wolfgang Halbig, who the families said was a frequent guest on Jones’ show and questioned whether the school shooting really happened, is also named as a defendant in the case.

Halbig, 71, a former police officer who lives in Sorrento, Florida, said in April that he believes people died in the shooting, but that authoritie­s refuse to clear up what he believes are discrepanc­ies in the official story.

Jones acknowledg­ed allowing Halbig and others to question the shooting on his show, but said he has a constituti­onal right to do that.

“To stifle the press (by making them liable for merely interviewi­ng people who have strange theories) will simply turn this human tragedy into a Constituti­onal one,” his attorneys wrote.

Jones’ attorneys asked for oral arguments on their motion. Those were not scheduled Monday.

 ?? TAMIR KALIFA /AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN ?? “Infowars” host Alex Jones filed a motion Friday to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by families of some of the 26 people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Lawyers for Jones argued he was acting as a journalist in questionin­g the official narrative of the shooting.
TAMIR KALIFA /AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN “Infowars” host Alex Jones filed a motion Friday to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by families of some of the 26 people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Lawyers for Jones argued he was acting as a journalist in questionin­g the official narrative of the shooting.

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