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Lawyers spar in court over files sent by Alex Jones containing child porn

BRIDGEPORT — Lawyers for parents of children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School who are suing Info Wars host Alex Jones sparred in court Tuesday over ...

BRIDGEPORT -- Lawyers for parents of children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School who are suing Info Wars host Alex Jones sparred in court Tuesday over filed that are believed to contain child porn but at the end of the day the judge admonished the defense team.

The judge ruled that Jones has to pay plaintiffs court fees and admonished Jones defense team for delaying the evidence discovery process. Trial date has been set for November of 2020.

The hearing Tuesday centered around pornography that was found in email metadata files Jones' attorneys turned over to the families' lawyers as part of the discovery process of a defamation lawsuit, which was filed in a Connecticut court last year in response to discussions on Jones' show about the school shooting being a hoax.

Jones' attorney, Norman Pattis, said the child pornography was in emails sent to Jones that were never opened and he denied Jones did anything wrong. Pattis said federal authorities are investigating who sent the emails.

Appearing angry on his web show based in Austin, Texas, Jones accused one of the families' lawyers, Christopher Mattei, of planting the child pornography in the files in an effort to frame Jones. He also offered a $1 million reward for information on who sent the emails containing child porn.

According to testimony in the hearing Tuesday, lawyers laid out a timeline of the events.

On May 21, a series of emails and property sent from Jones attorneys to attorneys for the parents.  A company was hired to catalog the files.

On June 4, the plaintiffs were informed by consultant there was an image of concern. The plaintiffs lawyers contacted the FBI and on June 7, the FBI took control of the files .

On June 12, they determined 12 emails had images attached to them in one form or another and the FBI determined none had been opened by the defense. Then they notified defense council.

The lawyer for Jones said Jones was enraged when he found out about the accusations. Going on to say, "The impression that he would be portrayed as a pedophile from malicious parties to send him these illegal images in regards to pornographers images."

On June 12, a joint conference with defense counsel was held with the plaintiffs. Those lawyers learned on Friday that Jones and his attorney did a web broadcast on June 14 and 15 addressing emails.

Lawyers for the parents said Jones sounded like he was threatening the families' lawyer, Christopher Mattei, saying, there  was “No other way to interpret what mr Jones said.“ in regards to threats.

The parent's attorneys are asking for sanctions  and the defense is asking court to deny any sanctions.

In a motion filed in Waterbury Superior Court on Monday, lawyers for the families accused Jones of threatening Mattei by naming him on the show, showing his photo and wrongly accusing him of planting the child pornography. The motion will be discussed at a court hearing on Tuesday. Pattis denied that Jones threatened Mattei.

"Total war! You want it, you got it!" Jones said on the show while talking about Mattei, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general last year. "I'm not into kids like your Democratic party. ... So get ready!"

Other lawyers for the families, William Bloss, Alinor Sterling and Matthew Blumethal, said in the motion that they notified the FBI about the numerous child porn images.

The two sides have been battling over documents and discovery issues in the lawsuit for months.

"Unfortunately this drama has taken on a life of its own with each side parrying for position," Pattis said.

The families of eight victims of the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and an FBI agent who responded to the massacre are suing Jones, Infowars and others for promoting a theory that the shooting was a hoax. A 20-year-old gunman killed 20 first-graders, six educators and himself at the school, after having killed his mother at their Newtown home.

The plaintiffs said they have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones' followers because of the hoax conspiracy.

Jones has since said he believes the shooting occurred.

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