James Fetzer, a conspiracy theorist who co-authored a book titled Nobody Died at Sandy Hook, who alleged, among other horrors, that the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting never happened, has been ordered to pay $450,000 to Lenny Pozner. Pozner is the father of one of the boys, Noah, who was shot and killed in the massacre. Noah was six-years-old and one of 26 victims at the school shooting on Dec. 14, 2012.
Pozner filed a defamation lawsuit against Fetzer in November 2018. On Tuesday, a jury finally decided on the amount that Fetzer must pay Pozner.
The Dane County judge previously ruled that Fetzer defamed Pozner in the book. One example of this defamation? The allegation that Pozner fabricated copies of his son’s death certificate. The overall take of the conspiracy theory turned book was that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax. The point of the hoax, as explained by the authors? Promoting gun control. The authors also blame Obama.
Pozner also filed a defamation lawsuit against Mike Palecek, the book’s other author, as well, however, the case was dismissed. Pozner and Palecek reportedly reached a settlement out of court last month. Those terms have not yet been disclosed.
Has Fetzer learned anything? Apparently not. In a statement to ABC News, he described the children killed in the massacre as “alleged ‘victims’” and again pushed the idea that their death certificates were fake.
"Mr. Fetzer has the right to believe that Sandy Hook never happened," Pozner said as reported by the Wisconsin State Journal. "He has the right to express his ignorance. This award, however, further illustrates the difference between the right of people like Mr. Fetzer to be wrong and the right of victims like myself and my child to be free from defamation, free from harassment and free from the intentional infliction of terror."
Since losing his small child to gun violence, Pozner has been harassed by people who insist that the massacre was a hoax. In addition to this defamation suit, Pozner worked on getting conspiracy videos removed from social media, including Facebook. He’s also created a nonprofit in an effort to educate people and disprove these disturbing theories. All of this while mourning a six-year-old.
With the relentless swirl of conspiracy theories, as Pozner testified in court, he has been in fear for his surviving family’s safety, including one of his two daughters, who is Noah’s twin. Given that many “supporters” of Fetzer attended the trial, this fear is understandable.
Fetzer plans to appeal, saying the amount is “absurd.”