Alex Jones must still pay the $1.1 billion juries ordered him to pay the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre last year after a court ruled that Jones defamed the families by spreading baseless conspiracy theories that the shooting was staged, a Texas judge ruled Friday.
Forbes reports U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston ruled Thursday that Jones cannot discharge the debts he owes the families in bankruptcy because those debts arise from “willful and malicious injury by the debtor,” which makes the debts nondischargeable by federal law.
Jones has yet to pay any of the money he owes.
Jones declared bankruptcy last year, which paused payments to the families while hearings proceeded.
After a gunman killed 26 people—20 of whom were elementary school aged children—in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, Jones began spreading baseless conspiracy theories on his political talk show that the shooting never happened, that it was staged by gun control advocates and that family members of the victims were actually actors. Jones’ theories, which he espoused for years, led to the families being continually harassed by his viewers and supporters. In a series of cases in Connecticut and Texas, the families successfully sued Jones for defamation and multiple juries ruled that Jones must pay them collectively over $1 billion.
No comments:
Post a Comment