The plaintiff’s lawyer asked the jury to send a message to Alex Jones, and they did by awarding $45.2 million in punitive damages.
A Texas jury on Friday decided that the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay the parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting $45.2 million in punitive damages, one day after rendering a $4 million award for compensatory damages.
The jury announced both awards after several dramatic days in court that included testimony that Mr. Jones and Free Speech Systems, the parent company of his misinformation-peddling media outlet, Infowars, were worth between $135 million and $270 million.
There Are Several More Trials To Come
Jones has been found liable for defamation in several lawsuits brought by Sandy Hook families. There are more damages proceedings to come in both Texas and Connecticut.
The trial that just concluded involved the parents of one Sandy Hook victim. If the other trials result in awards of equal or greater value, Alex Jones will be financially wiped out, and that could be the least of his problems, as multiple law enforcement agencies have requested access to his cell phone that his attorney accidentally gave the plaintiffs.
Friday’s verdict is the first step in stopping Alex Jones.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
