Do you mean plaintiffs not defendants? My understanding is Alex Jones was being sued, not doing the suing.

I'm not aware of the details of that case, but could those records be something his lawyer legitimately demanded during discovery? My understanding is that HIPAA only controls the disclosure of medical records by the medical provider and related parties, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't a carve out for court orders. If the records leave the provider's custody for any reason, HIPAA is irrelevant for any dissemination after that point.

As for the second part, maybe? Unfortunately, that part is very much unclear with everyone having a reason to spin it to their advantage. I could not find the actual origin at this time. Maybe we will be able to learn it eventually.