The parents of one of the students who died in the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 are set to testify against Alex Jones this week in a civil lawsuit alleging the InfoWars host promoted conspiracy theories that the deadly school shooting was a hoax.
The trial related to the Sandy Hook massacre, the deadliest mass shooting at a U.S. elementary school, is just the first of several lawsuits levied against Jones, as several parents have sought legal action against him.
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Opening statements and testimony for the trial began last week after jury selection concluded. Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, the parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, who died in the shooting, are scheduled to testify on Monday.
Here’s what to know about the trial.
Jones claims Sandy Hooking shooting was “completely fake”
Jones was sued by the parents after the radio host and conspiracy theorist said the shooting was “completely fake” and a “giant hoax” during a 2017 radio show.
Years after the shooting occurred, Jones decried the incident as a hoax that involved actors seeking stricter gun control legislation — a conspiracy theory that quickly emerged after the shooting. Jones later denied saying the shootings were fake and told prosecutors in an April deposition that he was not responsible for any mistreatment toward parents because of the hoax claims.
Jones was found liable for defamation in lawsuits filed in Texas and Connecticut. In both of those cases, the podcast host was given default judgments without trials because he failed to turn over key documents or respond to the judges’ orders, according to the Associated Press.
Parents set to testify in court on Monday
Heslin and Lewis are expected to testify in court on Monday, with the two seeking as much as $150 million in damages from Jones and his media company.
The couple’s lawyers argued in opening statements last week that Jones led a “vile campaign of defamation” that resulted in the family receiving death threats from some of his followers who believed his claims that the shooting was fake.
The InfoWars host’s net worth now sits at negative $20 million, leaving him unable to pay the millions of dollars in damages, Jones’s attorneys have claimed in court filings. However, lawyers for the families have provided records that show his podcast store making more than $165 million between 2015 and 2018, according to the Washington Post.
Parents are “struggling” through trial, while Jones is “treating it like a joke”
As the trial dragged on last week, attorneys played videos of radio segments in which the podcast host sought to dissect evidence he thought proved the incident was a “false flag” operation carried out by “crisis actors.”
While the videos played, Heslin and Lewis turned their eyes away from the screens at different points because it was difficult for them to watch, their lawyers said.
“They’re struggling through it. This is difficult for them,” said Mark Bankston, the family’s attorney.
Meanwhile, Bankston argued that Jones, who has been present in the courtroom far less than the two parents, has not been taking the situation seriously.
“They see it for what it is — he’s treating it like a joke,” he said. “It’s become a complete circus.”
Jones’s media company files for bankruptcy
The parent company for the InfoWars website filed for bankruptcy, Jones’s attorneys announced on Friday, although this is not expected to interfere with the trial’s proceedings.
One of his attorneys said the bankruptcy filing stemmed from a desire to “put this part of the odyssey behind us so that we have some numbers” for defamation charges brought against them, F. Andino Reynal told the court on Friday.
InfoWars and two other business entities owned by Jones filed for bankruptcy in April due to defamation charges against him in other trials, which temporarily delayed the trial. However, after the announcement on Friday, the judge ruled the trial would carry on.
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Jones has paid tens of thousands of dollars to victims’ families over the years after nine families filed lawsuits against him for his “hoax” comments.
The trial continues with Heslin’s and Lewis’s testimony on Monday and is set to continue throughout the week.
