Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who claimed the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax and was sued by the victims' families, is refusing to show up to a court-ordered deposition. A judge set a $25,000 fine yesterday, saying he "willfully and in bad faith and without justification failed to abide by clear court orders requiring his deposition."
While that's pocket change for Jones, who earns tens of millions of dollars a year and is crowdfunding off the case, the fine will be applied daily until he appears and increases by another $25,000 each day he fails to.
"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."
Millions a day within a month. Nonetheless, he got away with it, earned several days of headlines advertising his $50m-a-year grift of a career, and can get the fines reimbursed if he shows up within two weeks.
[Judge] Bellis said the contempt "will be purged" if and when Jones completes two full days of depositions at plaintiffs' law offices in Connecticut by April 15, and that he can also request reimbursement for fines he incurs.
