Lenny Pozner, the father of a 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim, has won a defamation lawsuit against the authors of the book, “Nobody Died at Sandy Hook.”
Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington, in Wisconsin, issued a summary judgement Monday that the book’s authors, James Fetzer and Mike Palecek, had defamed Pozner. One of their book’s false claims was that the death certificate for Pozner’s son, Noah, had been faked. A trial has been set for October to decide damages.
Pozner went to extraordinary lengths to prove the book wrong: His lawsuit included a redacted copy of the death certificate, and Pozner also provided public access to Noah’s birth certificate, report cards, and medical records, Pozner told TheWrap. He even took a DNA test to prove that Noah was his son.
“Fetzer claimed that it was fake and phony, and Noah never died and he never lived, and obviously those claims are false,” Pozner said. “A bunch of ridiculous claims, all of that was nonsense. It was proven.”
He stated: “If Mr. Fetzer wants to believe that Sandy Hook never happened and that we are all crisis actors, even that my son never existed, he has the right to be wrong. But he doesn’t have the right to broadcast those beliefs if they defame me or harass me. He doesn’t have the right to use my baby’s image or our name as a marketing ploy to raise donations or sell his products. He doesn’t have the right to convince others to hunt my family.”
The book has also been removed from shelves to settle litigation between Pozner and the publisher, Dave Gahary of Moon Rock Books.
In a statement provided to TheWrap, Gahary said: “I sat across a table from Leonard Pozner for nearly 15 hours during his deposition, another deposition, and other discussions that took place over two days. I looked him in the eyes, listened to his testimony, had frank discussions about our respective concerns, and, in the end, shook his hand. I heard hours of testimony about his experience following the Sandy Hook shooting and the aspects of the event that have caused concerns for me and so many others. After his deposition, I expressed my condolences for the loss of his son, Noah Pozner. My face-to-face interactions with Mr. Pozner have led me to believe that Mr. Pozner is telling the truth about the death of his son. As a result, Moon Rock Books has decided to discontinue publishing and selling ‘Nobody Died at Sandy Hook.’ I extend my most heartfelt and sincere apology to the Pozner family.”
Asked whether he thinks the removal of the book will put a stop to the harassment he and his family have faced from conspiracy theorists, Pozner told TheWrap: “This will not end the harassment. Taking the book down will not change people’s opinion, but my objective was to take the book down.”
Pozner has also sued InfoWars radio host Alex Jones in Texas, accusing him of defamation. Other parents of Sandy Hook victims have also filed lawsuits against Jones, and against other conspiracy theorists.
The families said that Jones’ followers have harassed them and issued death threats based on the content of Jones’ program, which has fueled a conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook shooting was a “false flag” to build up opposition to guns.
Since his initial fueling of the conspiracy theory, Jones has said he believes the shooting did occur, according to the Associated Press.
Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults in the December 2012 attack.
Jones has denied any knowledge of the pornographic materials and says that unnamed individuals are trying to frame him. He has also denied making any threats.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
LGBTQ Hollywood: 18 Stars Who've Come Out Since Last Year's Pride (Photos)
Tessa Thompson, Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie, Josie Totah and Amandla Stenberg are among those who publicly shared their sexuality. Read on for the full list.
"Thor: Ragnarok" star Tessa Thompson came out as bisexual -- and in a relationship with actress-singer Janelle Monáe -- in a June interview in Net-a-Porter. "I’m attracted to men and also to women," she said.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz came out as bisexual in a poem written for Billboard in June 2018: "We still have a long way to go / But know / I am bi your side."
"The Hate U Give" star Amandla Stenberg, who had identified as bisexual at age 17, came out as gay in a June 2018 interview in Wonderland: “I was so overcome with this profound sense of relief when I realized that I’m gay -- not bi, not pan, but gay -- with a romantic love for women."
Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie told Paper magazine in July that he identifies as pansexual. "I'm married to a woman and I'm very much in love with her but I'm not opposed to a man because to me, I like a person. ... I'm definitely attracted to men."
Josie Totah, the teenage star of Mindy Kaling's short-lived comedy "Champions," came out as a transgender woman in an August essay in Time magazine. “I have come to believe that God made me transgender," she wrote. "I don’t feel like I was put in the wrong body."
Garrett Clayton, star of Disney Channel's "Teen Beach Movie" and "Hairspray Live!" came out as gay in an Instagram post in August 2018 -- and shared his personal experience with "intense bullying in high school."
Lucas Hedges, the Oscar-nominated star of "Manchester by the Sea" and "Boy Erased," identified himself as "not totally straight" in a September 2018 interview with Vulture. Or, as he put it: “I recognize myself as existing on that spectrum: Not totally straight, but also not gay and not necessarily bisexual.”
Brigette Lundy-Paine, who co-stars on the Netflix comedy "Atypical," came out as queer in a September 2018 interview with The Advocate.
Jake Choi, star of the ABC sitcom "Single Parents," said he identifies as "fluid" in September 2018 interview with Very Good Light, crediting his role as a gay man in the movie "Front Cover": "Maybe, s---, I’m attracted to everything. Maybe it’s more feminine or more androgynous. I realized yeah, I’m fluid. It’s not black or white. It’s grey.”
Jake Borelli, who plays a gay doctor on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," came out as gay himself in a November 2018 Instagram post on the night his character had his first onscreen kiss with another man: "“As a gay guy myself, tonight’s episode was so special to me."
In a November 2018 interview with The Daily Beast, former "Dexter" star Michael C. Hall discussed his "fluid" sexuality while noting that he identifies as straight and has never had sex with another man: “I think there’s a spectrum. I am on it. ... I think I have always leaned into any fluidity in terms of my sexuality.”
In a February 2019 tweet, YouTuber Lilly Singh identified herself as "female, coloured and bisexual."
Ben Platt, Tony-winning star of "Dear Evan Hansen" and the Netflix series "The Politician," publicly came out in February 2019 with an interview in People and the video for his first single: “I’ve been out since I was 12 years old to my family and anyone in my life. I’ve never sort of hidden that or been ashamed by it. It’s just part of me.”
The Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Sam Smith identified as "genderqueer" and "nonbinary" in a March interview with Jameela Jamil. "I am not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between -- somewhat on the spectrum," said the star, who has dated men.
In March 2019, country singer Cameron Hawthorn came out as gay in an Advocate interview and the video for his single "Dancing in the Living Room." "Being gay, it's not as easy to dance as a couple in public together as it is for a straight couple," he noted.
"Pretty Little Liars" star Tyler Blackburn came out as bisexual in an April 2019 HuffPost interview. “I heard so many things from within the queer community about bisexuality being a cop-out or bulls--- or the easy way out or something," he said. "I felt the pressure from all sides to have (my sexuality) figured out."
Caitlin Kinnunen, the Tony-nominated star of the Broadway musical "The Prom," came out in an April 2019 Nylon interview: "I have identified as a straight ally for a very long time, but recently my world has kind of opened up, and I am currently dating a woman."
Michael D. Cohen, star of Nickelodeon’s live-action sitcom “Henry Danger,” told Time in May 2019 that he was misgendered at birth and transitioned from female to male while already working in the entertainment business nearly 20 years ago: “I identify as male, and I am proud that I have had a transgender experience -- a transgender journey."
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Tessa Thompson, Brendon Urie and Amandla Stenberg are among those who publicly shared their sexuality
Tessa Thompson, Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie, Josie Totah and Amandla Stenberg are among those who publicly shared their sexuality. Read on for the full list.
