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Alex Jones held liable - later, found liable

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ASPartOfMe
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01 Oct 2021, 7:22 am

Infowars host Alex Jones is responsible for damages triggered by his false claims on the Sandy Hook shooting, judge rules

Quote:
Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who hosts the right-wing commentary website Infowars, was found legally responsible in two lawsuits for damages caused by his claims surrounding the 2012 Sandy Hook school mass shooting, according to court documents released Thursday.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble issued default judgments on Monday against Jones and his outlet for not complying with court orders to provide information for the lawsuits brought against him by the parents of two children killed in the shooting.

The rulings, which were first reported by the Huffington Post, effectively mean that Jones lost the cases by default. A jury will convene to ascertain how much he will owe the plaintiffs, the report said.

An attorney for the parents, Mark Bankston, told CNN in a written statement that the rulings offers his clients "the closure they deserve."

Jones falsely claimed that the December 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a "giant hoax" carried out by crisis actors on behalf of people who oppose the Second Amendment.

The Texas judge essentially ruled that Jones and his parent company, Free Speech Systems, "intentionally disobeyed" court orders when they didn't hand over certain documentations related to lawsuits against him.

"The Court finds that Defendants' failure to comply ... is greatly aggravated by [their] consistent pattern of discovery abuse throughout similar cases pending before this Court," Gamble wrote in one of her rulings. "The Court finds that Defendants' discovery conduct in this case is the result of flagrant bad faith and callous disregard for the responsibilities of discovery under the rules."

In 2019, Jones acknowledged the shooting was real during a sworn deposition he made as part of a defamation case brought against him by Sandy Hook victims' families


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Last edited by Cornflake on 19 Nov 2021, 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.: Tweaked title to include merged "found liable" thread

funeralxempire
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01 Oct 2021, 9:32 am

Liable.


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Last edited by Cornflake on 19 Nov 2021, 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.: Fixed

Fnord
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01 Oct 2021, 9:43 am

Liable, guilty, whatever ... how much is that slimeball supposed to pay out?



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01 Oct 2021, 1:00 pm

funeralxempire wrote:
Liable.


Depends

It COULD be "libel". Two different words.

He could be being sued for libel. In which case he would be "being held liable".

"Libel" is a form of slander (both in common, and in legal terms). If I say insulting stuff about you (like at a party) I am slandering you. If I print stuff in an article in my newspaper the wrongly defames you I am committing "libel".

If I SAY stuff about you on the air (on the radio TV, and presumably also on UTube) I am also committing "libel". In the twentieth century they expanded the definition of libel to cover the then new electronic media of radio and TV by calling things said on the air "libel", rather than "slander" on the premise that "its all written down in script first before announcers say it so it is still the written word". That aside its still -the media of the age- so folks still need legal protection.

So...if you say something unproven bad stuff about someone on the air (on radio, TV, or on Utube) you might be liable to be sued for libel. And found liable!



naturalplastic
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01 Oct 2021, 1:08 pm

Hope that they take him to the cleaners.

Trouble is: his lawyers might claim "not liable by reason of insanity".

And...that would be hard to refute after the court sees Exhibit A:



funeralxempire
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01 Oct 2021, 2:07 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
funeralxempire wrote:
Liable.


Depends

It COULD be "libel". Two different words.

He could be being sued for libel. In which case he would be "being held liable".

"Libel" is a form of slander (both in common, and in legal terms). If I say insulting stuff about you (like at a party) I am slandering you. If I print stuff in an article in my newspaper the wrongly defames you I am committing "libel".

If I SAY stuff about you on the air (on the radio TV, and presumably also on UTube) I am also committing "libel". In the twentieth century they expanded the definition of libel to cover the then new electronic media of radio and TV by calling things said on the air "libel", rather than "slander" on the premise that "its all written down in script first before announcers say it so it is still the written word". That aside its still -the media of the age- so folks still need legal protection.

So...if you say something unproven bad stuff about someone on the air (on radio, TV, or on Utube) you might be liable to be sued for libel. And found liable!


I'm familiar with the meanings of both words.

He was found responsible for his violations of a court order related to turning over documents; libel isn't a relevant word in this news story even if it's one that often applies when it comes to Alex Jones' statements.

Also, I don't like 'em putting chemicals in the water that turn the frikkin' frogs gay.


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01 Oct 2021, 3:01 pm

^^ Another difference between the Brits and the Yanks - if there was a shouty, outspoken person like that around here, we'd find them overwhelming, think it ridiculous and inappropriate in a social situation, and on the TV.

The music version of Alex Jones is funny. :D


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02 Oct 2021, 3:33 pm

smudge wrote:
^^ Another difference between the Brits and the Yanks - if there was a shouty, outspoken person like that around here, we'd find them overwhelming, think it ridiculous and inappropriate in a social situation, and on the TV.

The music version of Alex Jones is funny. :D



Bear in mind I find that shouty kind of personality fun.


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03 Oct 2021, 7:29 pm

smudge wrote:
smudge wrote:
^^ Another difference between the Brits and the Yanks - if there was a shouty, outspoken person like that around here, we'd find them overwhelming, think it ridiculous and inappropriate in a social situation, and on the TV.

The music version of Alex Jones is funny. :D



Bear in mind I find that shouty kind of personality fun.


Unfortunately, it's what he shouts that's evil.


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18 Nov 2021, 9:12 am

NPR

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A Texas judge has found Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones liable for damages in three defamation lawsuits brought by the parents of two children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre over his claims that the shooting was a hoax.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin, home of Infowars, entered default judgments against Jones, Infowars and other defendants for what she called their "flagrant bad faith and callous disregard" of court orders to turn over documents to the parents' lawyers.

The cases now head to trial for juries to determine the amount of damages Jones and the other defendants will have to pay the families.

The shooting was portrayed on Jones' Infowars show as a hoax involving actors aimed at increasing gun control. Jones has since acknowledged the school shooting did occur.

Families of some of the school shooting victims sued Jones, Infowars and others in courts in Texas and Connecticut over the hoax conspiracy, saying they have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones' followers. The Connecticut cases remain pending.


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18 Nov 2021, 1:13 pm

Good.


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18 Nov 2021, 1:21 pm

But what about the gay frogs?  Do they have legal representation?

:wink: Wait for it...



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19 Nov 2021, 2:55 am

Free speech is a right, but as with all rights, when abused there are consequences.


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19 Nov 2021, 3:32 am

Alex Jones has caused immense pain and suffering to families who lost children in the shooting spree. He has literally put the lives of survivors in danger by letting loose an army of crackpots. When you have a platform, you have a duty to use it responsibly. He violated that duty. The correct result was reached.


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19 Nov 2021, 5:26 am

DW_a_mom wrote:
Alex Jones has caused immense pain and suffering to families who lost children in the shooting spree. He has literally put the lives of survivors in danger by letting loose an army of crackpots. When you have a platform, you have a duty to use it responsibly. He violated that duty. The correct result was reached.


AMEN!


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19 Nov 2021, 9:14 am

 Alex Jones releases video begging for money 

Days after being found guilty in the Sandy Hook defamation cases, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is begging his supporters to send him money to keep his right-wing website Infowars running.

For years, Jones spread bogus theories, claiming the shooting was a "false flag" operation engineered by the government to bring about stricter gun control laws, and falsely accused the families of being "crisis actors" who faked being the victims of the shooting.

The families of Sandy Hook victims were subjected to years of in-person and online harassment over the claims. They successfully argued that Jones made money from spreading the bogus conspiracy theories through his Infowars channel.

While Jones keeps his financial circumstances largely hidden, he is thought to be worth only around $5 million, largely gained through the sale of supplements on his Infowars network.

No, I am not going to post a link to this snake-oil salesman's whiny-a$$ed video.  You can find it for yourself and have a good laugh.