A Texas judge has ordered InfoWars host and Austin resident Alex Jones to pay damages in two lawsuits over conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting he repeatedly shared on his show.

What You Need To Know

  • A Texas judge has ruled conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is responsible for damages in two lawsuits filed over false claims he repeatedly made about the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School 

  • Jones on several occasions referred to the shooting, which claimed 26 lives, 20 of whom were children, as a hoax and family of the child victims as "crisis actors"

  • A jury will determine how much Jones owes the families that filed suit 

  • In a statement, Jones said the judge "crucified the First Amendment" in her ruling 

Travis County District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble on Thursday issued a default judgment against Jones and InfoWars for failing to provide documents related to his hoax theories, multiple news outlets have reported.

A shooter on Dec. 14, 2012, claimed the lives of 26 people, 20 of whom were children, when he opened fire inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn.

The incident is the deadliest mass shooting at an elementary school in U.S. history.  

Jones frequently referred to the shooting as a hoax and referred to the families of the children murdered at Sandy Hook as “crisis actors.”

It will be up to a jury to determine how much Jones has to pay plaintiffs.

Jones is facing several additional lawsuits in connection to his false statements.

In a statement issued jointly with his attorney, Jones said the “Democrat” judge “crucified” the First Amendment in making her decision.

Sandy Hook families 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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.