Jan. 6 (UPI) — Connecticut has temporarily suspended the law license of Norm Pattis, an attorney who represents right-wing talk-show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Connecticut Judge Barbara Ellis made the decision Thursday.
Families of children who died in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting filed three lawsuits against the Austin, Texas-based talk-show host for statements he made saying the mass shooting was faked.
Families of the victims have said they have experienced harassment from people claiming the shooting was staged and have testified that they believe Jones’ rhetoric was a motivating factor.
In October, a Connecticut jury ordered Jones to pay $965 million in damages to the families of eight Sandy Hook victims after he was found guilty of spreading false stories about the shooting.
The court said Thursday’s decision was prompted by Pattis releasing unauthorized Sandy Hook files, including personal medical records of victims’ families.
In 2021, the court modified a protection order regarding confidential records to create a “Highly Confidential-Attorneys Eyes Only” designation, limiting who could view them.
“The concerns of the court with protecting the plaintiffs’ medical and confidential information were made painfully clear to the respondent [Pattis] early in the discovery process, when he filed a motion to depose Hillary Clinton, improperly using information designated as Highly Confidential-Attorneys Eyes Only,” the decision reads.
Clinton had no relation to the case.
The court also said Pattis improperly shared confidential medical records with Texas attorney Kyung Lee.
“Neither the respondent nor anyone from his firm advised of the existence of the protective order,” the decision reads.
In October, a judge rejected a motion by Jones to hire Lee and his law firm to structure bankruptcy plans.
“When the court has issued a protective order in a case, a competent attorney must be familiar with its terms,” the decision reads. “Here, the respondent failed to provide even the minimal amount of attention and care required when it came to handling the plaintiffs’ discovery materials.”
