Alex Jones is appealing the $1.4 billion Sandy Hook verdict to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing he should get leeway for his free speech because he's a journalist | Fortune

"Judge Barbara Bellis, frustrated at what she called Jones' repeated failure to abide by court rulings and to turn over certain evidence to the Sandy Hook families, issued a rare default ruling against Jones and his company in late 2021 as a penalty. That meant that she found him liable without a trial on the facts and convened a jury to only determine what damages he owed."

"A six-person jury in Waterbury issued a $964 million verdict in October 2022 in favor of the plaintiffs - an FBI agent who responded to the shooting and relatives of eight children and adults who were killed. Bellis later tacked on another $473 million in punitive damages against Jones and Free Speech Systems, Infowars' parent company that is based in Austin, Texas."

"Jones filed his request to the Supreme Court on Friday and it was released by the court on Tuesday. Jones' lawyers - Ben Broocks, Shelby Jordan and Alan Daughtry - insist in the petition that state courts cannot determine liability based only on sanctions such as default rulings. They say that constitutional law and Supreme Court precedent require public figures such as the Sandy Hook families to prove their defamation claims against journalists such as Jones."

Jones argues the judge was wrong to find him liable without a trial on allegations by relatives of victims of the Newtown shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators. Judge Barbara Bellis issued a default ruling in late 2021 as a penalty for Jones' failure to comply with court orders and to turn over evidence, resulting in liability being decided without a trial and leaving a jury only to determine damages. A six-person jury awarded $964 million in October 2022 and Bellis later added $473 million in punitive damages. Relatives testified about harassment by people they called Jones' followers; Jones contends no proof linked him to those actions. Jones filed a Supreme Court petition and his lawyers argue state courts cannot determine liability solely on sanctions and that public figures must prove defamation; they say the default was imposed for trivial reasons and that Jones substantially complied with court orders.

Read at Fortune