Right-wing talk show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seeking more than $100,000 in court costs from the family of one of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Jones has repeatedly claimed the shooting was staged and is facing multiple lawsuits from victims’ families.
Family members of nine victims are suing Jones. He faces two lawsuits in his home state of Texas and one in Connecticut. Proceedings for one of those cases have begun in Austin.
Jones says a Texas law protects him from costly litigation meant to silence his free speech. He has asked the court to dismiss the charges and is seeking $100,000 from the family of Noah Pozner, a 6-year old who was killed in the shooting, according to the New York Times.
Jones' lawyers argue he was acting as a journalist in the tradition of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in questioning what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Jones says he now believes the shooting happened.
The families say Jones' comments have tormented them and subjected them to harassment and death threats by his followers.
Jones is also being sued by a man falsely identified on the Infowars website as the gunman who killed 17 people at a Florida high school in February.
Jones' profile has spread from the far-right fringe in recent years. While running for president in 2015, Donald Trump told Jones his reputation was "amazing."
