Supreme Court Upholds $1.4 Billion Judgment Against Alex Jones in Sandy Hook Defamation Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Alex Jones, upholding a $1.4 billion defamation judgment against him for his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. The decision leaves in place the substantial damages awarded to the families of the victims.

Jones, the host of Infowars, had argued that he was wrongly found liable for defamation and infliction of emotional distress without a trial on the merits. The Supreme Court issued its order without requesting a response from the families of the Sandy Hook victims.

In late 2021, a Connecticut judge issued a default ruling against Jones and his company for failing to comply with court orders and provide evidence to the plaintiffs. A jury subsequently awarded $965 million in damages, with an additional $473 million in punitive damages added later.

Jones filed for bankruptcy in late 2022, and his attorneys have stated that the plaintiffs have no realistic chance of collecting the full judgment. He is also appealing a $49 million judgment in a similar defamation case in Texas.

Efforts to liquidate Infowars' assets to satisfy the judgments have faced challenges. In November, the satirical news outlet The Onion was the winning bidder in an auction to liquidate Infowars' assets, but the bankruptcy judge later nullified the auction results due to issues with the process and the bid. The case has since moved to a Texas state court, where Jones is appealing the appointment of a receiver to liquidate the assets.