The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to intervene in right-wing broadcaster Alex Jones’ bid to pause enforcement of a nearly $1.5 billion defamation judgment tied to his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was staged, according to multiple reports.
The justices issued no comment in rejecting Jones’ emergency appeal, which sought to block a lower court ruling upholding the massive penalty. In his filing last week, Jones warned that absent immediate relief, his media company, Infowars, could soon be taken over by The Onion, a satirical outlet pursuing the asset through bankruptcy court.
Attorneys for Jones argued that unless the Court stepped in, “InfoWars will have been acquired by its ideological nemesis and destroyed.”
The Associated Press wrote that a lawyer representing Jones in the case didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. During his daily show on Tuesday, Jones said his lawyers believed his case was “cut and dry,” while he had predicted the high court wouldn’t take up his appeal.
“I said no, they will not do it because of politics,” Jones said.
Jones mocked the idea that he has enough money to pay the judgement, saying his studio equipment, including five-year-old cameras, was only worth about $304,000.
“It’s all about torturing me. It’s all about harassing me. It’s about harassing my family. It’s about getting me off the air,” said Jones, who urged his listeners to buy merchandise to keep show running.
The dispute traces back to the December 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, when a gunman murdered 20 children and six educators. Jones repeatedly told his audience the attack was a “staged event,” assertions that led the victims’ relatives to sue him in Connecticut for defamation and emotional distress.
Jones’ company, Free Speech Systems—Infowars’ parent entity—has failed to overturn the verdict in state appeals and is now mired in bankruptcy proceedings. A prior bid by The Onion to buy Infowars collapsed, but Jones’ legal team says a renewed offer is advancing in a Texas courtroom.
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