Alex Jones and his Infowars website were rebuffed Friday in their bid to have the Texas Supreme Court toss four defamation lawsuits they face from parents of children slain in a 2012 school shooting.
The state’s top court ruled, without comment, to uphold decisions reached by lower courts allowing the defamation lawsuits to proceed, rejecting legal efforts made by Mr. Jones to avoid liability.
Each lawsuit was filed against Mr. Jones, Infowars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems, LLC, on behalf of parents of students killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Twenty children and six adults died in the shooting, and investigators soon determined it was done solely by Adam Lanza, 20, who committed suicide at the school as first responders arrived on the scene.
Mr. Jones and Infowars were among the biggest proponents of conspiracy theories about Sandy Hook in its aftermath, including false claims of the massacre being “a giant hoax” and “false flag” operation.
Lawyers for the parents of Sandy Hook students have accordingly filed numerous lawsuits in Texas, where Mr. Jones and Infowars are based, in addition to litigation pending in state court in Connecticut.
Attorneys for Mr. Jones have argued his remarks consist of constitutionally protected free speech. Lawyers on the other side of the suit allege he acted recklessly and caused emotional distress, however.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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