It was a bombshell development in the Alex Jones defamation case in Texas last week after Scarlett Lewis’ attorney revealed the contents of Jones’ phone and potentially the personal medical records of the plaintiffs in the Connecticut defamation case.
The records were improperly released to Lewis' legal team. Now, a Connecticut judge is trying to determine if Jones’ attorney Norm Pattis, who is representing the InfoWars host in the defamation case here, along with his Texas attorney should face disciplinary action.
Last week, Lewis’ attorney Mark Bankston told the court he believed it was Pattis who provided those files to Jones’ Texas attorney Andino Reynal.
“That’s not the real story of what happened, it’s just not. We know what happened here, Norm Pattis up in Connecticut was passing this file along to Mr. Reynal and I know that because the directory contains a SharePoint OneDrive backup to Norm Pattis’ computer,” Bankston told the Texas courtroom.
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In a virtual hearing Wednesday from Waterbury Superior Court, Judge Barbara Bellis told Pattis’ attorney she’s now calling for show cause hearings for both him and Reynal, asking that they provide answers and evidence as to how the records, which could include the plaintiffs in the Connecticut case’s medical and/or psychiatric records, were allegedly provided to Lewis’ legal team in Texas.
According to court transcript, the judge wants to know, “When they were sent. The level of technological expertise the sender had. If the staff sent the records, under what attorney’s supervision. What records were sent. Were they medical and psychiatric records, or other records subject to the Court’s protective order?”
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“I want to know exactly who received the records. And if that requires testimony from lawyers or others in the Texas case, so be it," Bellis said.
Both Pattis and Reynal’s hearings are set for next week. NBC Connecticut spoke with Pattis’ attorney Wesley Mead Thursday who said he had no comment at this time.
Jury selection in the Connecticut defamation case is still postponed until there is a decision from the bankruptcy court on the case. A hearing is set for that at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bridgeport Friday afternoon.
