A superior court judge found Infowars host and career conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in contempt of court and imposed a fine of $25,000 a day for his “willful” refusal to comply with her order to appear for questioning at a deposition by families of victims of the Sandy Hook School massacre, The News-Times reports.
The families of children killed in the 2012 mass shooting have been trying for years to get Jones on the record in regards to his past claims that the shooting was a hoax. Jones claimed he was unable to appear for questioning due to a health condition. Judge Barbara Bellis said she’s prepared to level additional sanctions at Jones if he continues to defy her order. She also said the excuses given by Jones’ medical physicians were unconvincing.
“The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Jones willfully and in bad faith and without justification failed to abide by clear court orders requiring his deposition,” Bellis said.
“If Mr. Jones’ counsel this afternoon informs [the families’] counsel that he will sit on Friday (for questioning under oath) and if he does there will be no fine,” the judge said by way of example. “If Mr. Jones sits on Tuesday April 5th, the fine will be $25,000 for Friday and $50,000 for Monday for a total of $75,000.”
Twenty first-graders and six teachers were killed in the December 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, killed his mother at their home before the shooting, and killed himself at the school after he carried out the shooting.
