There鈥檚 a bit more clarity now on how a Texas attorney defending Infowars host Alex Jones got hold of records believed to contain confidential information on nine parties suing Jones in 黑料吃瓜网.
Jones was sued for defamation in Texas and 黑料吃瓜网 by the families of children and educators killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for repeatedly claiming the shooting was a hoax. The conspiracy theorist lost the cases by default for failing to turn over documents to the families, and earlier this month, a jury in Texas awarded the parents of one of the victims, Jesse Lewis, $49 million.
In a dramatic moment during the Texas trial, the attorney for the parents, Mark Bankston, revealed that Jones鈥檚 lawyers had mistakenly sent the plaintiffs two years鈥� worth of Jones鈥檚 text messages. In addition, Bankston said he also received confidential psychiatric records of the families suing Jones in the 黑料吃瓜网 case. Bankston says Jones鈥檚 Texas attorneys must have gotten those records 鈥� which he later said he destroyed 鈥� from Jones鈥檚 lawyer in 黑料吃瓜网, Norm Pattis.
鈥淣orm Pattis up in 黑料吃瓜网 was passing this file along to [Jones鈥� defense attorney in Texas, Andino] Reynal, and I know that because the directories contain 鈥� backups of Norm Pattis鈥� computer,鈥� Bankston told a Texas judge on Aug. 4.
Through an attorney, Pattis maintains that he did nothing wrong.
鈥�...[A]ny misconduct is vehemently denied here as Mr. Pattis鈥檚 conduct fell directly within permissible conduct under a careful reading of the confidentiality order鈥︹�� according to in disciplinary proceedings in 黑料吃瓜网.
It鈥檚 now apparent that a third party had access to the file believed to contain the confidential psychiatric records. in the 黑料吃瓜网 lawsuit against Jones includes a declaration from attorney Kyung S. Lee, who represented Infowars in bankruptcy court. Lee says he sent a white external hard disk to Reynal, the attorney who defended Jones in the Texas defamation lawsuit, and that Lee got the records from Pattis.
鈥淭o this day, I do not know the nature of the confidential information because I never reviewed or analyzed the External disk,鈥� Lee said in a recently filed in the 黑料吃瓜网 case.
Lee says he sent Reynal the file at Reynal鈥檚 request.
Now Reynal and Pattis face possible discipline as a result of the files ending up in Reynal鈥檚 possession.
The Texas trial wrapped up earlier this month, but the 黑料吃瓜网 trial, where a jury will determine how much Jones must pay in damages, is on hold pending a last-minute federal bankruptcy filing by Jones鈥� company Free Speech Systems. The trial was due to start on Sept. 6.
Though the case is on pause, the plaintiffs are trying to get the case remanded back to 黑料吃瓜网, and Waterbury Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis is trying to get to the bottom of the confidential records dump. She鈥檚 ordered both Pattis and Reynal to appear in her court for show-cause hearings set for Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Bellis already told Pattis and his attorney, Wesley Mead, at a prior hearing that Pattis never disclosed sending the confidential information to anyone.
鈥淚 am clearly gravely concerned about what I had to hear in headlines on the news,鈥� Bellis said on Aug. 10. 鈥淚t was never reported to me by counsel that there were any issues.鈥�
Pattis and his attorney argue that Bellis lacks jurisdiction in ordering Pattis to appear for a show-cause hearing over this issue.
Pattis and his attorney declined comment for this story.
