On Monday, Alex Jones, the founder of InfoWars and conspiracy theorist, was found liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by the families of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children (all between the ages of 6 and 7 years old) and 6 adult staff members in one of the most deadliest shootings in the United States.

Following the shooting, Jones used his InfoWars media outlets to perpetuate conspiracy theories which alleged the massacre was fake and that the families were paid actors. His claims resulted in families receiving death threats from his InfoWars followers. This tormented families, many of whom were grieving the loss of their murdered children. When Jones refused the families requests for him to redact the inaccurate statements, he refused and continued to perpetuate false claims.

The families sought justice in the courtroom by filing a defamation lawsuit against him, also seeking damages for infliction of emotional distress. As part of the lawsuit proceedings, Jones was ordered to turn over documents requested by the plaintiffs. He refused to comply with the courts order, and Connecticut State Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellies deemed him liable in a default ruling, noting that Jones acted with “callous disregard.”

According to Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the families who sued Jones, “What’s clear from Judge Bellis’ ruling is that Alex Jones and the Jones defendants have engaged in a long, continuous course of misconduct in this case designed to prevent the plaintiffs from getting evidence about Mr. Jones’ business and about his motives for publishing lies about them and their families.”

This ruling is the 4^th defamation lawsuit Jones has lost against Sandy Hook families. The other defamations were issued by a Texas judge who found him liable for similar reasons.

Juries in Texas and Connecticut will decide how much Jones will pay the families for the damage he has inflicted. “While today’s ruling is a legal victory, the battle to shed light on how deeply Mr. Jones has harmed these families continues,” said Mattei.