Alex Jones Trial: Choose Denies Request For Mistrial After Jones’ Lawyer Mistakenly Sends Texts To Opposing Counsel

Topline

Alex Jones’ defamation damages trial introduced by the dad and mom of Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures victims will transfer ahead, after the decide on Thursday denied a request for a mistrial from the InfoWars host’s legal professional following the revelation that the lawyer had mistakenly sent years of cellphone data to the plaintiffs’ counsel.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones throughout his trial on the Travis County Courthouse in Austin on Aug. 3.

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Key Info

Jones’ lawyer Federico Andino Reynal requested Texas state court docket Choose Maya Guerra Gamble to declare a mistrial over the textual content messages, asking for the plaintiffs’ legal professional to return Jones’ data and destroy any copies of them.

Mark Bankston, the plaintiffs’ legal professional, argued the request was Reynal “utilizing a fig leaf to place over his personal malpractice” and “absolute breach of his personal duties to his consumer.”

Gamble sided with Bankston and denied the request—and questioned a number of occasions whether or not Reynal was severe or if it was a “throwaway” ask, noting that “it’s just like the seventeenth time or one thing” the legal professional had requested a mistrial.

The decide rejected Reynal’s request to retract all of the paperwork that have been mistakenly despatched to opposing counsel, however did say she ordered any messages containing medical data to be destroyed and allowed Reynal to undergo and establish particular person paperwork throughout the tranche that might be marked confidential.

What To Watch For

The jury is now deliberating on what damages Jones will face for defaming the Sandy Hook dad and mom. Gamble already issued a default judgment in opposition to Jones in October 2021, that means the jury gained’t really be deciding whether or not Jones is liable or not, however reasonably simply how a lot he has to pay. The plaintiffs are searching for damages of as much as $150 million.

Tangent

Bankston confirmed Thursday the Home January 6 Committee has requested the legal professional to show over Jones’ mobile phone data as a part of its investigation, which includes Jones and different far-right figures. The committee has beforehand subpoenaed Jones and confirmed footage of him throughout their public hearings, because the right-wing host unfold misinformation through the post-election interval and, lawmakers allege, helped set up the rally that preceded the January 6 assault. Gamble famous that even when she did grant Reynal’s request to have Bankston return the paperwork to him, it possible wouldn’t cease the committee from issuing a subpoena for them and getting them anyway.

Key Background

Jones is on trial for defamation after the right-wing media host repeatedly pushed claims denying the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures and calling it a “hoax.” He’s additionally dealing with the same civil trial in Connecticut, the place the court docket has equally issued a default judgment in opposition to him. He admitted on the stand Wednesday that the taking pictures was “100% actual,” and in addition testified that he had no textual content messages or emails discussing Sandy Hook. However Bankston used the tranche of texts that Reynal mistakenly despatched in opposition to Jones, asking the radio host, “Are you aware what ‘perjury’ is?” and revealing the attorneys had textual content messages exhibiting that Jones had in reality mentioned the taking pictures. “Are you aware the place I acquired this?” Bankston requested Jones. “Your attorneys tousled and despatched me a digital copy of your whole cellphone, with each textual content message you’ve despatched for the previous two years.”