Alex Jones To Pay Almost $1 Billion For Sandy Hook Defamation

Controversial radio host Alex Jones was ordered to pay $965 million in damages to the households of eight Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures victims, together with a primary responder, for falsely claiming that the 2012 bloodbath was staged.

A six-member Connecticut jury took three days earlier than in the end returning a unanimous verdict, based on the New York Submit.

The InfoWars host was not current on the courtroom when the decision was introduced, regardless of testifying on the trial final month, which included tearful and emotional testimony from relations of Sandy Hook victims.

Households Of Sandy Hook Victims Inform Jury About Harassment, Threats Due To Jones’ Spreading Misinformation

Households instructed the jury that they’ve been harassed and threatened by Jones’ followers, after it was decided he and his media firm Free Speech Programs, which operates the InfoWars web site, unfold lies in regards to the mass taking pictures.

The Barden household, whose 7-year-old son Daniel was fatally shot through the Sandy Hook bloodbath, testified that individuals had urinated on their son’s grave and even threatened to dig up his corpse to show he was nonetheless alive, the Submit stories.

Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was additionally killed on the college, instructed the jury in regards to the ongoing harassment he acquired after Infowars posted a video of him smiling the day after the taking pictures.

That was sufficient proof for Jones to wrongly paint Parker and others as “disaster actors,” the outlet stories.

“It might are available in these waves,” Parker stated of the harassment. “It was nearly like I knew when Alex Jones stated one thing, as a result of we’d get an enormous wave of stuff.”

The 48-year-old Jones remained unapologetic throughout his testimony, saying he was “accomplished saying I’m sorry” for spreading lies about Sandy Hook.

InfoWars Host Slams Resolution, Calls Authorized Proceedings “Kangaroo Courtroom,” “Present Trial”

Jones in the end declined to current a protection within the case, along with his attorneys resting with out placing forth any proof or witnesses of their purchasers favor.

On Wednesday exterior of the Connecticut courthouse, Jones known as the proceedings a “kangaroo courtroom” and a “present trial,” the only real objective of which was to place him out of enterprise.

In response to Movie star Internet Price, a monetary forensic skilled estimated that Jones and his firms had been price between $135 to $270 million.

On the trial, it was revealed that between 2015 and 2022, Jones’ main firm Infowars averaged $53.2 million in gross income.

Jones had already beforehand misplaced 4 defamation lawsuits filed by Sandy Hook households late final yr, with the trial in Connecticut being the second of three trials for juries to resolve on how a lot cash Jones should pay in damages.

Verdict Comes After Jones Misplaced 4 Earlier Defamation Lawsuits Filed By Sandy Hook Households

This week’s verdict comes two months after an Austin, Texas jury, the place InfoWars relies out of, ordered Jones to pay upwards of $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages to the Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, whose 6-year-old son Jesse was amongst the 20 youngsters killed through the 2012 assault, based on information stories.

Six lecturers had been additionally killed.

Jones sought to painting himself as a sufferer in that trial, who had been “typecast” for claiming the taking pictures was staged.

He has since stated that he now believes the bloodbath truly occurred.