Author of ‘Nobody Died at Sandy Hook’ to Pay $450K to Father of a Boy Killed

Sue Byamba
By Sue Byamba
October 17, 2019US News
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Author of ‘Nobody Died at Sandy Hook’ to Pay $450K to Father of a Boy Killed
A sign stands near the site of the December 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting on the day of the National School Walkout in Newtown, Conn., on March 14, 2018. (John Moore/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, a decision was made that the conspiracy theorist James Fetzer, who co-authored “Nobody Died at Sandy Hook,” pay $450,000 to the victim’s father, Lenny Pozner for defaming his family, according to ABC News.

Fetzer called the amount “absurd” and said he would appeal.

Pozner’s son Noah Samuel was killed in the deadliest elementary school shooting in the U.S., along with 25 other Sandy Hook elementary school children and staff in 2012.

In response to the shooting, James Fetzer and Mike Palecek wrote a book titled “Nobody Died at Sandy Hook,” arguing that the mass shooting was staged to promote gun control.

Specifically, the book claimed that Pozner fabricated copies of his son Noah’s death certificate.

As a result, Pozner and his family had been receiving online threats and harassment, including on his son’s memorial website.

In November 2018, Pozner filed a lawsuit against James Fetzer and released a statement on ABC News podcast, calling the decision “a victory for truth and decency.”

“Today marks an important turning point for victims of hoaxers and online harassers. Unimpeded conspiracy theories erase history. They dehumanize victims. People like Fetzer, who hide behind their computer screen and terrorize people grappling with the most unimagined grief, were put on notice today,” Pozner said.

The Jury decision came down on Tuesday, ruling Fetzer to pay $450,000 to Pozner to which Fetzer responded, “absurd” amount of payment and said that he would appeal.

Pozner thanked the jury “for recognizing the pain and terror that Mr. Fetzer has purposefully inflicted on me and on other victims of these horrific mass casualty events, like the Sandy Hook shooting,” according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

“Mr. Fetzer has the right to believe that Sandy Hook never happened,” he said. “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.”

In a statement to ABC News, Pozner said he hopes the court’s decision will help other victims “… of Mr. Fetzer and other conspiracy theorists like him who use the internet to harass and defame” to pursue legal action.

Pozner created a nonprofit, HONR Network, to end the online harassment from people claiming Sandy Hook was a hoax. His case is not the first the courts have seen concerning Sandy Hook claims.

Alex Jones “InfoWars” radio host was ordered to pay a portion of the legal fees of a lawyer he verbally attacked on his show in regards to the Sandy Hook event.

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