(NewsNation) — The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who was seeking to overturn a $1.4 billion judgment against him after he described the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School as a hoax.
The Infowars host was sued for defamation after he said the shooting, which left 20 children and six adults dead, was staged by “crisis actors.”
The shooting, which sparked a debate about gun control and gave rise to conspiracy theories, was the largest at an elementary school in U.S. history. All of the children killed were between the ages of 6 and 7 years old.
Trump’s shutdown firings at CDC cause whiplash, despair: What to know
Jones, on his Infowars website, shared conspiracy theories that the shooting was false and staged using actors for the purposes of enacting stronger gun control laws.
The relatives of the victims sued Jones for defamation and infliction of emotional distress.
Jones argued it was wrong for the judge in the Connecticut case to have ruled against him without a trial on the merits of the allegations. She issued the default ruling after Jones failed to follow court rulings and turn over evidence to the Sandy Hook family members.
Jones has also appealed a $49 million judgment in a similar defamation case in Texas, where he did not turn over documents to a Sandy Hook parent.
Is the stock market in an AI bubble?
Jones subsequently declared bankruptcy in 2022, and his lawyers have said there is no chance the full judgment will be collected.
The Onion, a satirical news site, won a bid to purchase Infowars, but a judge later blocked the sale over procedural issues and the winning bid.
Jones has appealed a recent court order appointing a receiver to liquidate his assets. Some of Jones’ personal property is also being sold off as part of his bankruptcy case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
