Infowars host Alex Jones did not show up to testify under oath Wednesday at a deposition in a lawsuit brought by relatives of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims. Jones was then called for arrest by the lawyers representing the families.
Jones’ attorney claimed that Jones missed the deposition due to an undisclosed medical condition. He was scheduled for testimony Wednesday and Thursday in Austin (Texas), where Infowars is located, in connection to the relatives’ defamation suit against him for claiming the Newtown massacre of 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut was a hoax.
In November, Jones was found liable by Judge Barbara Bellis of Connecticut’s Superior Court. In August, Jones will be tried to determine how much he should pay his families.
Bellis ordered Jones to attend the deposition on Wednesday and warned him that he would be held responsible for not complying with her order. Christopher Mattei, the family’s lawyer, requested that Bellis deny Jones an order of arrest to bring Jones to the proceeding. However, Mattei said she could subpoena Jones to request sanctions.
Mattei stated that he would request a subpoena to Texas if the judge did not approve his request for an order of arrest.
Mattei stated that this was a cowardly display to cheat plaintiffs of their rights to place him under oath. “And ask him questions about why he lied over the years about them, about the loved ones they lost at Sandy Hook, and why he launched a barrage harassment over many decades that continues to this very day.”
Norman Pattis Jones’ lawyer filed new court documents late Wednesday afternoon. These documents included letters from two doctors that stated they advised Jones to not attend the deposition due to his medical condition. Bellis was also requested by Pattis to postpone her deposition but she declined.
Pattis stated that Jones’ doctor was “so alarmed” by Jones’ Monday observations and advised Jones to call 911 or go to the emergency room. Pattis stated that Jones refused to go and that his doctor told him to stay at home.
His lawyers stated that Jones broadcast his daily website show on Tuesday at the Infowars Studio in Austin. Although he did not appear on Wednesday’s show, he provided commentary via phone and prerecorded segments. He didn’t discuss his deposition or medical conditions at the start of the program.
Pattis stated that Jones was subject to a second doctor’s exam and medical testing on Wednesday. Amy Offutt, a doctor, wrote that Jones was being examined for “acute medical problems that were time-sensitive, potentially serious, and necessary” and that lab tests were ongoing.
In the 2012 shooting, twenty-six first graders were killed along with six teachers. Eight families and an FBI agent responding to the school filed suit against Jones, Infowars, and other victims’ families. They claim that Jones’ followers have harassed and threatened them with death as a result of the hoax conspiracy. Jones later stated that he believed the shooting occurred.