Houston lawyer Federico Andino Reynal, who was left red-faced when it emerged his team had sent damning information to opposing counsel during the Texas defamation trial of Alex Jones, could also face career repercussions after the embarrassing incident.
Mr Reynal admitted last week that a digital copy of contents from the Infowars host’s phone -- including texts and medical records -- had been accidentally sent to the legal team for the plaintiffs. The mixup led to a gleeful moment for opposing counsel when they used the information to catch Jones in blatant lies while under oath.
“The revelation may have exposed Reynal to sanctions in a different case, as well as the potential for malpractice claims by Jones, according to court documents and lawyers following the trial,” Reuters reported.
Randy Johnston, a legal malpractice lawyer in Dallas, told the news agency that Mr Jones could pursue a malpractice claim against his attorneys, but would have to prove he would have had a better result from the Texas trial if the phone information hadn’t been handed over.
“Any complaint he would make is, essentially, ‘but for my lawyers, I would have been a successful liar,’” Mr Johnston said.
He told Reuters that “information on Jones’ phone relevant to the Sandy Hook claims should have been provided to the plaintiffs before trial, as part of a court-monitored process known as discovery.”
“Once Jones’ lawyers found out they had accidentally shared the phone records, they should have at least warned Jones before he was on the stand,” he said.
Mr Johnston also told Reuters that Sandy Hook parents could ask for sanctions against the lawyers “and possibly Jones for failing to share relevant portions of the phone data earlier, and there might be a court inquiry into whether other information was not properly disclosed.”
Following Friday’s verdict, the plaintiffs’ legal team told Judge Maya Guerra Gamble they would be seeking sanctions against Jones’ attorneys on three matters, including telling the jury that their verdict would affect other people’s legal, protected speech, Reuters reported.
Mr Reynal told the news agency on Friday that his focus “was always on the jury and on putting the best case forward for Alex,” adding that sanctions sought against him may be for a “tactical advantage” by his opponents.
Mr Jones spent almost a decade promoting the conspiracy theory that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut -- in which 20 six- and seven-year-olds were killed by a gunman who stormed an elementary school -- had been a hoax.
He admitted during the trial that the atrocity had, in fact, happened, even shaking hands with some relatives of victims. Mr Jones has been ordered to pay almost $50million in damages but has remained defiant in his broadcasts and attitude.
