A Texas judge on Thursday denied Infowars host Alex Jones’ motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought against him by the parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, The New York Times reports.
The radio host has long pushed conspiracy theories about the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, which left 20 elementary school children and six adults dead. Among his claims: The shooting was staged by the government in an effort to push gun control efforts, and that parents of the slain children were so-called “crisis actors.”
Jones has argued that his speech is constitutionally protected by the First Amendment.
The suit was filed by Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose 6-year-old son Noah Pozner was killed in the shooting. Pozner and De La Rosa have said that they have faced harassment and live in hiding from people who believe in Jones’ conspiracy theories. They are seeking $1 million in damages.
Jones also faces two other major lawsuits — one from another group of Sandy Hook parents and one filed by a man falsely identified as the shooter in February’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
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