Alex Jones Skips 2 Depositions In Sandy Hook Defamation Lawsuit

NEWTOWN, CT — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who was scheduled to sit for a deposition in the Sandy Hook defamation lawsuits he lost, skipped both legal proceedings Wednesday and Thursday, and could face contempt charges, according to published reports.

Jones had claimed an undisclosed medical condition prevented him from attending the deposition in Texas, where he lives, even though a judge had ordered him to sit for it.

"Mr. Jones was given conflicting imperatives: his physician told him to stay home; a judge told him to go to a deposition," attorney Norm Pattis, who represents Jones, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "He is following his doctor's advice. I suspect most people sensible would do as Mr. Jones has done."

The Hill reported that Jones still managed to tape his internet show on Wednesday.

On Thursday, The Associtated Press reported that Jones broadcast a pre-recorded show. On it, he did not specify what health problems he had, but said that he was under stress, and his cardiovascular system was affected by COVID-19, which he had last year.

"Somebody on death row is allowed to go get their medical treatment, and hearings and things are postponed," Jones was quoted as saying. "But I'm treated worse than somebody on death row."

Jones was sued by several families of victims of the December 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which killed 20 students and six educators, after Jones claimed the massacre was a hoax. He has since said the killings were not a hoax.

Last year, Jones lost the two cases by default, which prompted the need for depositions to discuss damages.

What will happen next was not clear on Thursday. The families might obtain a subpoena to compel Jones to attend the deposition, or a judge might hold him in contempt.

Pattis had provided the court with two letters from physicians, but the nature of Jones's medical condition was not disclosed.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.