For the second day in a row, Alex Jones failed to comply with a court order requiring his deposition in a successful defamation lawsuit brought by families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
About an hour after it was scheduled to begin, law firms representing the families alerted the media that Jones did not arrive for the in-person questioning.
“This cowardly attempt by Mr. Jones to escape accountability for the years he spent spreading lies about Sandy Hook, shows contempt both for the law and the families,” the families’ attorney, Chris Mattei of Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, said in a statement.
“We will continue to work within the legal system to hold Mr. Jones accountable for his actions.”
The no-show marks the second time this week Jones has failed to appear for his deposition, with his defense attorneys arguing to the court that an unnamed “medical condition” should excuse him.
According to his defense counsel, Jones did not appear for his Wednesday deposition two days after a Dr. Ben Marble, a guest on his show Infowars, personally observed unnamed symptoms leading to a physical examination on Monday.
Marble, a Florida-based physician who created a free telemedicine website MyFreeDoctor.com during the COVID-19 pandemic, told Jones’ lawyers he advised Jones to go to an emergency room or call 911 “immediately,” according to court documents, and subsequently arranged for, “comprehensive medical testing” to be performed Wednesday morning — the same time as the scheduled deposition.
Late Wednesday evening, attorneys for Jones produced an additional doctor’s note stemming from the second opinion.
Signed by Dr. Amy Offutt, the redacted five sentence note cites a recommendation made to Jones that he, “not attend court proceedings for now,” after assessing his unnamed condition.
In her note submitted to the court, Offutt described her, “medical visit with Mr. Jones for acute medical issues that were time-sensitive and potentially serious.”
“We started a comprehensive medical evaluation, and he has labs that are pending to assess his [redacted] status,” Offutt wrote to the court. “I also gave him ER precautions if he develops escalating symptoms.”
According to her website, Ouffutt is an “extensively trained integrative medicine physician” based in Marble Falls, Texas, who was, “recently appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Advisory Council.”
Her practice provides consultation and treatment to patients for chronic pain, offering yoga and other services including, “ozone therapies” and “IV nutritional therapies.”
Despite the added medical testimony from Offutt, Judge Barbara Bellis again denied the motion from the defense, ordering Jones to appear for his deposition Thursday morning.
“While the court has no details regarding Dr. Offutt’s background or qualifications, It appears both from Dr. Marble’s letter that the court reviewed yesterday (Tuesday) in camera, and from Dr. Offutt’s letter today (Wednesday), that the medical issues, while potentially serious, are not currently serious enough to either require his hospitalization; or convince him to stop engaging in his broadcasts,” Bellis wrote in her denial.
“Of course, if, as Dr. Offutt indicates, he develops escalating symptoms such that he is hospitalized, that change in circumstance would excuse his attendance at the court ordered deposition,” Bellis added.
Jones’ defense counsel could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.
At a press conference Wednesday, attorneys for the families of the victims said if Jones continues to defy court orders to attend his deposition, they will seek a court order to compel Jones to attend his deposition that could involve his arrest.
“What we have requested is that if Mr. Jones does not comply with the court’s order to appear tomorrow it should issue a ‘capias,’ which is essentially the equivalent in a bench warrant that would authorize Mr. Jones’ arrest and production at a location to give sworn testimony,” attorney Christopher Mattei said Wednesday.
Jones’ attorneys objected to the “capias” request, arguing later in the day that, “while Mr. Jones appears not to have initially complied with his physician’s orders, there is every indication that he has finally assented to do so,” according to court filings.
“Mr. Jones was never subject to a compulsory obligation, and he has yet to receive one in the form of a subpoena. Thus, the Plaintiffs’ motion for an order cannot be properly considered to be a motion to compel, and their attempt to procure his arrest is untimely.”
Bellis declined the capias request, court documents filed Wednesday show, but said missing the Thursday deposition would put Jones, “in direct contempt of the court’s orders requiring him to appear…”
“Nothing prevents the plaintiffs from pursuing a motion for commission and subpoena, nor are the plaintiffs prevented from seeking sanctions should Mr. Jones continue to disregard the court’s orders,” Bellis added.
The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for at 2 p.m. March 30.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism