In the Connecticut case, where Jones has been sued by different Sandy Hook families, Judge Barbara Bellis entered a default judgment against the Infowars founder in November 2021 after he failed to comply with court orders. Plaintiffs in three Connecticut lawsuits against Jones, including family members of eight students and employees and an FBI agent who responded to the scene, have all joined the trial that began Tuesday morning. Because the judge has already ruled that Jones is liable, the jury determines the amount of damages to award the plaintiffs. Jones, who was not present at the opening of the hearings but is expected to testify during the weeks-long trial, has unsubstantiatedly said in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting that the incident was staged. Jones has since admitted to the shooting, but only after the charges were filed. He said in a 2019 affidavit that a “form of psychosis” caused him to make his false comments. Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, argued during opening statements that Jones pushed the Sandy Hook lie because it was profitable. Mattei pointed to data showing that when Jones promoted the Sandy Hook conspiracy, web traffic to Infowars increased and so did profits. “What you see there is the relationship between the lie, the public and the money,” Mattei argued. Mattei noted that the Sandy Hook families “didn’t have enough time” with their loved ones and only had the memories they left behind. But, he said, Jones turned those memories “into a battleground” for profit. Mattei did not ask the jury to award the Sandy Hook families a specific dollar amount, but said he hopes the verdict will be “resounding enough to send a message to the people that Alex Jones accepted that they were lied to.” “You will speak on behalf of the community,” Mattei told the jury. Norman Pattis, an attorney for Jones, said during his opening statement that the claims by the Sandy Hook plaintiffs are “exaggerated.” “They’ve suggested that your job is to punish Alex Jones … they hate him because he says outrageous things and the haters want him to shut him up,” Pattis said. “Each of you chose to be here today to repay him for his grief and you are asked to make an example of Alex. Money is their weapon of choice. Reward them enough and you might just silence Alex Jones.” “This is not a casino,” Pattis added. Pattis argued that the Sandy Hook families “became partisan.” “Are they exaggerating the harm Alex has caused them because they want to silence him for political reasons? Because he disagrees with their point of view? I would suggest that’s the case,” Pattis said. “First they came for Alex Jones,” Pattis said as he concluded his opening statement. “Who’s turn is it?” CNN’s Lauren del Valle and Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
