Attorneys representing Infowars host Alex Jones in a lawsuit filed by some Sandy Hook families are asking to be dismissed from the case.
According to a legal filing, Jones no longer wants the law firm Pattis & Smith to represent him in the defamation lawsuit, so the firm has asked the court for permission to withdraw.
It represents another turn in the pursuit of justice for relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting against the man who once promoted the idea that everything about the massacre of six educators and 20 students was “fake.”
The defamation case was filed four years ago but was put on hold in 2019 for eight months as a higher court weighed Waterbury Judge Barbara Bellis’ decision to sanction Jones and prevent him from filing a motion to get the case dismissed.
Then there was drama over whether Jones would answer questions on the record from attorneys for the families after he missed several scheduled depositions. He finally sat for depositions in Bridgeport in April of this year after Bellis held him in contempt of court.
The case was then poised to move forward, but Bellis halted action in the case as Jones and two companies tied to him filed for bankruptcy. After a s-x-week delay, the case is now back in Waterbury Superior Court.
A status conference is scheduled for Thursday, where Bellis will meet with attorneys for the plaintiffs and defendants. And now as they attempt to get the case back on track, Bellis will have to rule on the withdrawal motion.
Norm Pattis, the founder of Pattis & Smith, declined a Connecticut Public request for comment.
Connecticut Public is awaiting comment from the lawyer for the Sandy Hook families.
Though Jones has already been found liable for defamation, it’s still up to a jury to determine how much he owes in damages. Jury selection is scheduled to begin in August.
