Neil Heslin, whose son Jesse Lewis died in the 2012 Newtown school shooting, has won a defamation case against Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist who called the shooting a hoax.
Heslin and other families are suing Jones in Texas court, and Jones has faced other lawsuits as well, including in Connecticut. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said Jones abused the discovery process and showed flagrant bad faith in court. Damages will be decided by a jury.
Gamble said Jones didn’t comply with court orders to provide documents, known as discovery, requested by the plaintiffs. Jones lost the case by default.
This is the third recent victory for Sandy Hook parents in Texas. Two other parents won their defamation suits against Jones last week.
Twenty children and six educators were killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Jones has since acknowledged the shooting did happen.
