Attorney Christopher Mattei traveled to Austin, Texas this week to question conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Two days in a row, Jones didn't show up to be deposed, defying a court order. Jones claimed an illness, yet continued to appear on his webcast.
Friday, Mattei filed paperwork arguing that Jones should be held in contempt, arrested and detained until he submits to questioning. He says Jones' latest defiance is an example of the host's dishonest, obstructionist behavior as the case has been litigated. It's that behavior that previously led to a rare default judgement against Jones: he's already been found liable for damages to families of Sandy Hook victims. Mattei spoke to WTIC's Dave Mager:
Mattei: "The record going back several years is replete with Mr. Jones' misconduct... He'd done everything from threaten counsel, to submitting false information to the court, to fabricating documents, to violating court orders... This is part of a long train of obstructive conduct."
WTIC News has requested an interview with Alex Jones' attorney, Norm Pattis. In an e-mail to the Associated Press, Pattis calls the request for Jones' arrest “an unprecedented overreach."
In the case at hand, based in a Waterbury court, the Sandy Hook families are suing Jones over the impact of his false claims about the shooting: on his webcast, Jones claimed the devastating event was a hoax. The plaintiffs say that lie led Jones' followers to subject the families to harassment and death threats, compounding their excruciating grief.
