But realistically the situation is probably quite complicated with actual harms that can be demonstrated.
Jones basically ignored court orders and wasn’t forthcoming in his responses to requests so the plaintiffs basically got a summary judgement without it going to trial. The only trial left is a judgement on damages.
There would be a big difference between Jones saying "the shooting was fake, it was a hoax" versus "that father on screen, John Smith, is a liar and an actor and doesn't even have a kid plus he's probably a pedo".
Well, which is it? What did Jones actually say about Sandy Hook? That seems to never get reported.
It gets reported all the time. It's both. Jones has said the shooting was fake/hoax, and Jones has called the parents liars and actors and said that they were making up the shooting for financial gain. In other words, libel.
mikeryan's comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31070389) includes a link to an actual complaint.