Defamation trial continues after Alex Jones' company files for bankruptcy

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The defamation trial of Austin-based talk show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones continued into its second week, after the media company behind his site, Infowars, filed for bankruptcy.

Late last week, Jones' attorney Andino Reynal alerted the court to the filing by Free Speech Systems, LLC, but said it would not halt the ongoing trial.

The Texas court found Jones liable for defamation and inflicting emotional damages in a case filed by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, who lost their son Jesse in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. A jury is now tasked with calculating how much Jones owes this family over his claims that the shooting was fake, and the parents could be paid "crisis actors."

This trial was postponed earlier this year, after Infowars and two of Jones' other companies, Prison Planet TV and IW Health, also filed for bankruptcy.

Friday's announcement about Free Speech Systems, LLC, the parent company for Jones' media operations, comes after attorneys for Heslin and Lewis announced they are seeking $150 million in compensatory damages.

Mark Bankston, one of those attorneys, said the family had to deal with harassment, threats and confrontation from people who believed the shooting had been a hoax.

“Jesse’s legacy had now become tied with this," he told the jury during his opening statements.

Jones, who continued to broadcast live throughout last week, and his attorneys have insisted this trial is an infringement on his right to free speech.

KXAN's Avery Travis is in the courtroom following the trial. You can read her live updates below.

Jones has also been found liable for defamation in another case in a Connecticut court. Jury selection is scheduled to begin this week, according to the attorney representing the plaintiffs in that case.

Christopher Mattei said in a statement, "Mr. Jones has once again fled like a coward to bankruptcy court in a transparent attempt to delay facing the families that he has spent years hurting. These families have an endless well of patience and remain determined to hold Mr. Jones accountable in a Connecticut court.”