Testimony to start in Alex Jones' Sandy Hook damages lawsuit

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury will hear the first testimony Tuesday in a civil lawsuit to decide how much Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay Sandy Hook Elementary School parents for falsely telling his audience that the deadliest classroom shooting in U.S. history was a hoax.

At stake for Jones is a potentially major financial blow that could put his constellation of conspiracy peddling businesses into deeper jeopardy. He has already been banned from YouTube, Facebook and Spotify over violating hate-speech policies.

The trial involving the parents of two Sandy Hook families is only the start for Jones. Damages have yet to be awarded in separate defamation cases for other families of the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

The lawsuits do not ask jurors to award a specific dollar amount against Jones, but in questioning the Texas jury pool on Monday, attorneys for the families suggested they could seek $100 million or more in compensatory and punitive damages.

Opening statements and testimony are set for Tuesday. Family members of the shooting victims and Jones were not in the courtroom when a 12-person jury and four alternates were selected Monday from a jury pool of more than 100.

“We’re very glad the day is here,” said Mark Bankston, attorney for the families suing Jones. “We’re looking forward to telling our clients’ story.”

It's unclear if Jones will attend any of the scheduled two-week trial. His attorney said Jones has a “medical issue” but did not elaborate.

Initial testimony Tuesday is expected to include Daniel Jewiss, who was the Connecticut State Police lead investigator of Sandy Hook, and Daria Karpova, a producer at Infowars.

In questioning the jury pool, Jones' attorney Andino Reynal acknowledged Jones is a “very...