Aug 29, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Alex Jones' company to face another Sandy Hook defamation trial

Sareen Habeshian

Alex Jones addresses a crowd of pro-Trump protesters after they storm the grounds of the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Alex Jones' company, Free Speech Systems, agreed Monday to face a second defamation trial in connection to its false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax, Reuters reports.

Driving the news: The Connecticut trial next month will determine how much Jones and the right-wing parent company of Infowars must pay in a defamation case brought on by nine victims' families.

The lawsuit had been stalled after the company filed for bankruptcy for the second time this year in a bid to limit the cost of litigation damages, Axios' Kate Marino writes.

Background: The victims' families asked a federal judge to order Jones to rescind his rights to Free Speech Systems, accusing him of sending millions of dollars to himself while still claiming bankruptcy.

The big picture: Jones is facing a number of other legal challenges since a Texas jury ordered him to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages for calling the Sandy Hook shooting a hoax, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.

Go deeper: Jury orders Alex Jones to pay $45 million in punitive damages

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Alex Jones' company to face another Sandy Hook defamation trial

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