Connecticut Sandy Hook Lawsuit (Lafferty v. Jones)
A lawsuit by parents and family members of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting. It alleges that false statements Jones made claiming that the shooting was fake or staged were defamatory towards the victims and their family members. This lawsuit also names Genesis Communications Network (GCN) as a defendant. There is a similar case, filed by a separate group of family members, in Texas.
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2018.
In November of 2021, and after years of sanctionable conduct by the Jones Defendants, Judge Barbara Bellis issued a default judgement, meaning that Jones and his companies are presumed to have committed the alleged conduct and will have to pay damages[1].
In April of 2022, the Jones defendants were briefly able to pause the case when three of the shell-company defendants filed for bankruptcy. This did not ultimately affect the trial schedule. Similarly, the proceeding was briefly paused when Free Speech Systems declared bankruptcy.
After months of bad faith tactics from InfoWars, and other delays, the trial to determine the amount of damages began on September 13th, 2022. Jury selection happened in the weeks prior.
Trial
Opening arguments in the trial started on September 13, 2022. Chris Mattei presented the opening for the plaintiffs, Norm Pattis for the defense.
| Name | Role | Calling Party | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| William 'Bill' Aldenberg | Plaintiff / FBI SWAT Agent during Sandy Hook Response | Plaintiffs | September 13th, 2022 |
| Carlee Parisi-Soto | Plaintiff / Family member of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 13th, 2022 |
| Brittany Paz | Free Speech Systems LCC Corporate Representative | Plaintiffs | September 14th, 15th, 16th, and 20th, 2022 |
| Clint Watts | Expert Witness (Terrorism and Social Media Networks) | Plaintiffs | September 20th, 2022 |
| David Wheeler | Plaintiff / Father of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 21st, 2022 |
| Erica Lafferty | Plaintiff / Family member of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 21st, 2022 |
| Jennifer Hensel | Plaintiff / Mother of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 21st, 2022 |
| Rob Jacobson (Deposition Video) | Former InfoWars Employee | Plaintiffs | September 21st, 2022 |
| Alex Jones | Defendant / Alex Jones | Plaintiffs | September 22nd, 2022 |
| Ian Hockley | Plaintiff / Father of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 27th, 2022 |
| Nico Acosta (Deposition Video) | Infowars Producer | Plaintiffs | September 27th, 2022 |
| Nicole Hockley | Plaintiff / Mother of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 27th, 2022 |
| Josh Owens (Deposition Video) | Infowars Video Editor | Plaintiffs | September 27th, 2022 |
| Jillian Soto-Marino | Plaintiff / Family member of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 27th, 2022 |
| Bill Sherlach | Plaintiff / Family member of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 28th, 2022 |
| Alissa Parker | Mother of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 28th, 2022 |
| Robbie Parker | Plaintiff / Father of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 28th and 29th, 2022 |
| Rob Dew (Deposition Video) | InfoWars Senior Content Producer | Plaintiffs | September 29th, 2022 |
| Matthew Soto | Plaintiff / Family member of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 29th, 2022 |
| Donna Soto | Plaintiff / Family member of a victim | Plaintiffs | September 29th, 2022 |
| David Jones (Deposition Video) | Alex's Father / Former InfoWars head of HR. | Plaintiffs | September 29th, 2022 |
| Francine Wheeler | Plaintiff / Mother of a victim | Plaintiffs | October 4th, 2022 |
| Timothy Fruge (Deposition Video) | InfoWars Operations Manager | Plaintiffs | October 4th, 2022 |
| Jackie Barden | Plaintiff / Mother of a victim | Plaintiffs | October 4th, 2022 |
| Mark Barden | Plaintiff / Father of a victim | Plaintiffs | October 4th, 2022 |
Verdict
On October 12th, 2022, the jury returned a verdict, awarding the plaintiffs $964.8M dollars in compensatory damages. Punitive damages are yet to be determined.
The full breakdown is as follows:
| Plaintiff | Defamation / Slander Damages | Emotional Distress Damages | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| R Parker | $60M | $60M | $120M |
| D Wheeler | $25M | $30M | $54M |
| F Wheeler | $24M | $30M | $54M |
| J Bardin | $10M | $18.8M | $28.8M |
| M Bardin | $25M | $32.6M | $57.6M |
| N Hockley | $32M | $41.6M | $73.6M |
| I Hockley | $38M | $43.6M | $81.6M |
| J Hensel | $21M | $31M | $52M |
| D Soto | $18M | $30M | $48M |
| C Soto | $30M | $36M | $66M |
| C M Soto | $18.6M | $39M | $57.6M |
| J Soto | $30M | $38.8M | $68.8M |
| W Aldenburg | $45M | $45M | $90M |
| E Lafferty | $18M | $58M | $76M |
| W Sherlach | $9M | $27M | $36M |
| Total | $965M |
Legal Counsel
While not as tumultuous as the Texas case, many lawyers have been involved in representing the parties.
Representing the Plaintiffs
Representing the Defendants
Other Roles
- Judge Barbara Bellis has presided over most of the case.
- Brittany Paz has appeared as a corporate representative (not as an attorney) for various corporate defendants.
