A judge in the defamation case against Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has denied the defense’s request to postpone his deposition scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. Shortly before the scheduled deposition, a spokesman for the plaintiffs says Jones' attorney "informed the parties that he will not be showing up."
The deposition had already been delayed multiple times. Jones’ attorneys said he can’t make this one because he has an undisclosed illness and must remain at home pending test results.
The defense privately submitted a letter from a doctor to Judge Barbara Bellis. But the judge raised doubts about whether it was authentic.
“I would say that the movants have submitted no credible evidence upon which the court can properly enter an order postponing the deposition of Mr. Jones,” Bellis said during a hearing Tuesday.
Something the plaintiffs raised in the hearing alarmed Bellis. Attorney Chris Mattei “represented” to the court that Jones was actually broadcasting live at the time the motion was being argued in court and that Jones was in a studio, not at home. That would clash with the content of the letter, which according to the court says Jones is “remaining home.” As a result, Bellis said that defense attorney Kevin Smith needs to report back to her by Wednesday at 11 a.m. in a legal filing whether Jones was broadcasting from a studio.
“The issue of whether today’s broadcast was from Mr. Jones’ studio or at his home can more easily be determined by Mr. Smith, who may have unknowingly misled the court into believing that Mr. Jones has been confining himself to his home,” Bellis wrote in a court filing Tuesday.
The deposition, according to the plaintiffs, was originally scheduled for the fall of 2021. Mattei called the latest request for a delay “a dishonest attempt” by Jones to avoid being questioned under oath.
“What is clear is that this notion that Mr. Jones is responsibly complying with some unidentified physician’s recommendation that he be at home under his physician’s care is completely bogus — dropped on the court and the plaintiffs less than two days before he’s to be deposed for the first time in a case that’s been pending since 2018,” Mattei said.
The defense calls that an “unfair claim.”
“Despite what the opponents might say is suspicious timing here, he does have a history of actually appearing for his depositions and providing testimony,” said Smith.
Smith did say the defense has concerns about content from the deposition being leaked to the public.
The InfoWars host was sued by the victims’ families in 2018 after claiming that the shootings that killed six educators and 20 students were “fake.”
Jones has already lost the defamation case. Last November, Bellis ruled that because of the way that Jones’ legal team handled the discovery process, it could no longer fight claims of defamation. What’s still to be decided is how much he’ll have to pay in damages.
The deposition of Alex Jones will take place in Austin, Texas, and is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 9 a.m. central time. Mattei said Tuesday that he’s OK with Jones bringing a physician if he wants.
This story is developing and this post will be updated.
