For years, the sleazy MAGA propagandist, Alex Jones, spread conspiracy theories stating that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax. This led to the harassment of the victims' families. Consequently, the families sued Jones for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and juries awarded them over $1.5 billion in damages.
As expected, Jones declared bankruptcy and claimed to be penniless, promising his audience that he would never pay the families he traumatized. But he recently found out the hard way that he can't use bankruptcy to avoid paying the damages. In a new video breakdown, LegalEagle explains the recent court ruling that rejected Jones' attempt to have his judgment debts wiped away through bankruptcy. "A judge in Texas just shut down that effort, declaring that as a matter of law, at least $1 billion of Jones' judgment debts cannot be wiped away by bankruptcy," LegalEagle explains.
The Sandy Hook families have intervened in Jones' bankruptcy case, alleging his debts to them are non-dischargeable because they resulted from "willful and malicious injury." Jones claimed the default judgments against him were unfair and unconstitutional.
But the judge granted summary judgment for the plaintiffs, invoking "collateral estoppel" to prevent Jones from re-litigating issues already decided against him. *(Collateral estoppel is a legal principle in American law that prevents an issue of fact or a question of law that has already been decided from being re-litigated in a subsequent case between the same parties.) "Accordingly, Judge Lopes concluded the deemed admissions were sufficient to establish that Jones inflicted willful and malicious injury on the Sandy Hook plaintiffs," LegalEagle says.
This is a huge victory for the victims' families, though the legal saga is likely far from over, as Jones can still appeal.
