A Sandy Hook victim's family was blocked Thursday from receiving the near $50 million payment in defamation damages owed them by Alex Jones, according to multiple reports.
A federal bankruptcy judge ruled to block the payment after a court-appointed trustee accused the family of attempting a “money grab,” Forbes was among the first to report.
The InfoWars host owes roughly $1.5 billion for spreading conspiracy theories about the devastating elementary school mass shooting in Connecticut in December 2012.
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Gunman Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adults before taking his own life — Jones claimed on his show the shooting was staged by federal officials seeking stronger gun control laws.
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Judge Christopher Lopez on Thursday overruled a Texas judge’s decision to allow the parents of Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin — parents of a slain 6-year-old boy named Jesse — to collect from Jones’ company Free Speech Systems, according to Forbes.
A Texas jury ordered Jones to pay Jesse's parents $49.3 million in August 2022, according to the report.
The New York Times describes Thursday's ruling as an "ugly turn" in a tragic case.
“The last thing I want to do is start hashing out another dispute about two sets of families that have been through enough already,” Lopez said, according to the Times. “Let’s just do this with process and transparency."
Lopez then proposed a mid-July hearing for the court-appointed trustee in control of Jones’s financial accounts to provide more information.
According to NBC News, none of the families who successfully sued Jones in 2022 been able to collect the money yet.
Mark Bankston, a lawyer for the Texas plaintiffs, told NBC his clients were "frustrated that they will not be allowed to pursue their state court rights after all."
"This case will remain in limbo," Bankston said the family reportedly believes, "much to Mr. Jones' delight."
