fbpx

Father of Jewish Sandy Hook Victim Awarded $450,000 in Defamation Suit

[additional-authors]
October 17, 2019
Sandy Hook Elementary School; Photo from Google Maps

(JTA) — The father of a Jewish boy killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School won a $450,000 judgment against the editor of a book that claimed the 2012 massacre at the school never happened.

A jury in Wisconsin determined the amount to be paid to Leonard Pozner, whose 6-year-old son Noah was the youngest of the 26 people killed at the Connecticut school.

The award came four months after a judge ruled that Pozner had been defamed by James Fetzer and Mike Palecek, editors of a book claiming that the government had staged the killing to advance gun control measures. According to the book, Pozner had faked his son’s death certificate to advance the conspiracy.

Fetzer, a retired professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, called the judgment “absurd” and said he plans to appeal, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Palacek has already settled with Pozner for an undisclosed amount, according to The New York Times.

Pozner is a party to multiple lawsuits against those who claim the massacre was faked, including Alex Jones, the online provocateur who runs Infowars. Jones has also made claims to the effect that the parents of Sandy Hook victims are part of a plot to take away firearms.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

A Bisl Torah — All Over Again

Repenting includes examining and admitting our mistakes. Seeking forgiveness. Determining to do better. Being better. Every single day.

Hanging Out at the Jewish American Summit

Among the speakers, Adam Milstein, a real estate investor, philanthropist and co-founder of the fast-growing Impact Forum, urged attendees to frame antisemitism as an American issue and not just a Jewish issue.

A Festive French Roast

One of my favorite things to cook for the Jewish holidays is a beautiful French roast. It’s so very festive and is perfect to feed a hungry crowd.

The Genius of the Marx Brothers

Like the greatest satirists, such as Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain, they chose comedy over accusation to mock the folly of society and add levity to dark times. But their aim was not levity alone.

AKLA Rises

From a Local Experiment to a National Program: AKLA Expands Its Vision for Jewish Teens

Better Kisser Than a Cook

Sometimes love arrives ahead of you, in spite of you. Cooking slowly became a way of being there for the people I love. A wordless language that says: I see you. I hear you. You’re worth the onion-chopping.

Israel’s Brain-Drain Debate Is Asking the Wrong Question

If an experienced professional with rare expertise leaves Israel, the impact cannot be understood simply by adding another person to a brain-drain statistic. The more relevant question is how many people with comparable experience remain, how essential that expertise is and how easily it can be rebuilt.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.