InfoWars' Alex Jones is back in the spotlight again only a day after families of Sandy Hook school shooting victims rejected his settlement offer. The families are suing Jones for his repeated claims the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was a hoax and the harassment his lies caused for them.
Connecticut Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ruled Jones would be forced to pay a fine for every business day he fails to appear for a deposition relating to the lawsuit.
Jones defied court orders to appear for depositions last week, resulting in the plaintiffs asking he be arrested and detained until he appeared for deposition. The judge refused the request, but instead ordered Jones to pay a fine for every business day he fails to appear.
The financial penalty will be $25,000 per weekday and increase by $25,000 per weekday until he appears for a deposition, starting this Friday. She also changed the location of the deposition from Texas, where Jones lives, to Connecticut.
Judge Bellis said of Jones' failure to appear for the deposition:
"The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant, Alex Jones, willfully and in bad faith violated without justification several clear court orders requiring his attendance at his depositions."
She further stated the letters from Jones' doctors did not provide sufficient evidence to prove he was too ill to attend the proceedings.
She also noted Jones had appeared on his show every day that week, either in-person or by phone, despite reportedly being too ill to attend the deposition.
Twitter users were generally happy to see Jones facing consequences for his actions, but many felt the fine should have been higher.
Some were still questioning what Jones could possibly have been thinking when he amplified the conspiracy theory in the first place.
Jones' attorney Norman Pattis maintains the judge's ruling is unfair and stated he planned to appeal the ruling in Connecticut Superior Court.
He told the Associated Press:
"The judge’s order is shocking and an insult to the medical doctor who advised Alex not to attend court proceedings. We regard the order as lawless and unprecedented."
