alex jones

Lawyer for Alex Jones gets law license temporarily suspended

The lawyer representing Austin-based conspiracy talk-show host Alex Jones (C) had his license temporarily suspended for releasing confidential files. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
The lawyer representing Austin-based conspiracy talk-show host Alex Jones (C) had his license temporarily suspended for releasing confidential files. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 6 (UPI) — Connecticut has temporarily suspended the law license of Norm Pattis, an attorney who represents right-wing talk-show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Connecticut Judge Barbara Ellis made the decision Thursday.

Families of children who died in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting filed three lawsuits against the Austin, Texas-based talk-show host for statements he made saying the mass shooting was faked.

Families of the victims have said they have experienced harassment from people claiming the shooting was staged and have testified that they believe Jones’ rhetoric was a motivating factor.

In October, a Connecticut jury ordered Jones to pay $965 million in damages to the families of eight Sandy Hook victims after he was found guilty of spreading false stories about the shooting.

The court said Thursday’s decision was prompted by Pattis releasing unauthorized Sandy Hook files, including personal medical records of victims’ families.

In 2021, the court modified a protection order regarding confidential records to create a “Highly Confidential-Attorneys Eyes Only” designation, limiting who could view them.

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Infowars host files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

nfoWars founder Alex Jones speaks to the media outside Waterbury Superior Court during his trial on September 21, 2022 in Waterbury, Connecticut.

InfoWars founder Alex Jones speaks in Waterbury, Conn. Photo: Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images

Alex Jones filed for personal bankruptcy in Texas on Friday, according to a court filing.

Why it matters: The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing comes after Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, were ordered to pay almost $1.5 billion in damages for falsely claiming the Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax.

Driving the news: The bankruptcy filing said Jones owns between $1 million and $10 million of assets with $1 billion to $10 billion of liabilities.

  • Jones’ affiliate business Free Speech Systems is also mentioned in the lawsuit, having filed for bankruptcy in July.

What they’re saying: “Like every other cowardly move Alex Jones has made, this bankruptcy will not work,” said Chris Mattei, the attorney representing the Sandy Hook families, in a statement to Axios.

  • “The bankruptcy system does not protect anyone who engages in intentional and egregious attacks on others, as Mr. Jones did. The American judicial system will hold Alex Jones accountable, and we will never stop working to enforce the jury’s verdict.”

Zoom out: A Connecticut jury ordered Jones to pay $965 million in damages to Sandy Hook victims in a defamation

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Infowars host Alex Jones files for personal bankruptcy

FILE - Infowars founder Alex Jones appears in court to testify during the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. Jones has filed for personal <a href=bankruptcy protection in Texas as he faces nearly $1.5 billion in court judgments over conspiracy theories he spread about the Sandy Hook school massacre. Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in bankruptcy court in Houston on Friday, Dec. 2. (Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool, File)” title=”FILE – Infowars founder Alex Jones appears in court to testify during the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. Jones has filed for personal bankruptcy protection in Texas as he faces nearly $1.5 billion in court judgments over conspiracy theories he spread about the Sandy Hook school massacre. Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in bankruptcy court in Houston on Friday, Dec. 2. (Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool, File)” loading=”lazy”/

FILE – Infowars founder Alex Jones appears in court to testify during the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. Jones has filed for personal bankruptcy protection in Texas as he faces nearly $1.5 billion in court judgments over conspiracy theories he spread about the Sandy Hook school massacre. Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in bankruptcy court in

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Connecticut attorneys weigh in on Alex Jones bankruptcy

Jones has been ordered to pay about $1.5 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Alex Jones, the controversial host of Infowars, filed for bankruptcy protection Friday.

He claims he’s out of money and owes creditors millions, but he’s chauffeured around by private bodyguards in big new expensive vehicles, still selling his supplements, asking his fans to donate to his legal defense fund and encouraging them to give him cryptocurrency.

“All those people who are giving him money, they are working for the plaintiffs. They’re not working for him,” said Jim Bergenn, an Attorney for Shipman & Goodwin. Prior to personal bankruptcy filing, his company, Free Speech Systems, also filed for bankruptcy in April. “For the rest of his life he can never accumulate wealth,” said Bergenn.

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In total, Jones has been ordered to pay about $1.5-billion to Sandy Hook families after being found liable for defamation for claiming the school massacre was a hoax and the victim’s families were actors. “All they want is some billion-dollar number. This is ridiculous. I don’t have two million dollars,” said Jones of his Infowars show.

And

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Alex Jones arms for verdict fight with Sandy Hook parents

Alex Jones is not rushing into bankruptcy protection after a Connecticut jury ordered him to pay $965 million in defamation damages to eight Sandy Hook families last week, his attorney said on Monday.

“[T]here is simply no need for a bankruptcy filing until the appellate courts have handled these cases on appeal,” said Jones’ bankruptcy attorney Shelby Jordan, speaking not only of the eye-opening Connecticut verdict but the $49 million a Texas jury ordered Jones to pay in August to parents of a slain Sandy Hook boy Jones defamed. “Keep in mind that these judgments were obtained by barring almost all defensive testimony to the damage claims made and in particular allowing the jury to hear only one side of that evidence.”

The first post-verdict fight will come on Thursday where Jones will ask a Texas judge to apply the state law’s $750,000 limit on punitive damages in civil cases, and deny a claim by the Sandy Hook parents that they are exempt from the cap because of their severe emotional suffering.

The two sides couldn’t be further apart.

The parents of the slain Sandy Hook boy argue they’re entitled to the $45 million in punitive damages the jury awarded

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