The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, effectively upholding a massive defamation judgment against him. Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, where 20 children and six educators lost their lives. Jones had repeatedly and falsely claimed the massacre was a hoax orchestrated by the government.
In his appeal to the nation’s highest court, Jones argued that his media company, Infowars, was being unfairly harmed by the sale of its assets to The Onion, a satirical news outlet. He contended that the financial consequences of the judgment amounted to a “financial death penalty” for him and his 30 million followers.
However, the Supreme Court has provided no explanation for its decision to deny his request. Jones has not yet made any payments towards the judgment. While an earlier attempt by The Onion to purchase Infowars was blocked by a bankruptcy judge, the company may still be put up for sale again, potentially offering The Onion another opportunity.
This legal pressure on Jones intensified after juries found him liable for defamation and emotional distress due to his repeated false statements about the Sandy Hook attack. During court proceedings in Texas, where he had filed for bankruptcy protection, Jones admitted that the shooting was “100% real,” a stark contrast to his earlier assertions that the massacre was staged and that “no-one died.”