A jury has ordered Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist, to compensate the parents of a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim 4.1 million. Jones and his legal team broke courtroom rules throughout the trial, including unintentionally sending copies of Jones’ phone records to the other side’s team. There was no evidence to back up Jones’ accusations that the shooting was manufactured and a “false flag,” and the punishment is the first actual legal consequence. Only a portion of the money Jones has earned since then is shown here.
Parents of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis, Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin sought 150 million in damages from Jones for his remarks regarding Sandy Hook. After today’s judgement, the jury will reconvene to decide whether to award further punitive damages, according to the New York Times. Since he lost defamation proceedings in all three Sandy Hook instances by default for failing to deliver papers to the court, the jury will decide on financial penalties in each case.
“We have a strategy to remain on the air,” says the executive.
Jones, on the other hand, says he hasn’t been discouraged yet. “We have a strategy in place to ensure that we remain on the air. On a live video broadcast between advertising for health supplements and other things, he stated, “We can pay for these kangaroo trials.” “Technically… still on Earth, but you’re in jail,” Jones said during the trial of being banned from key digital platforms in 2018 and 2019. It was shown in court documents that Jones’ Infowars website grossed 50 million a year even after being “deplatformed,” despite Jones’ claims that any fine above 2 million would “sink” him.
During the trial, Jones is said to have taken attempts to conceal his wealth. With a 54 million debt to another firm that Jones seems to control, Jones’ company Free Speech Systems (FSS) entered bankruptcy. He was accused of “systematically syphoning enormous quantities of money” from FSS to reduce his losses. Following the bankruptcy filing, the two trials slated for September were placed on hold.
Both the limitations of Jones’ fabulist media style and the difficulties of holding him responsible in court have been shown in the odd trial “Your idea that something is real does not make it true,” said Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, who scolded Jones for lying on the stand. Another one of Andino Reynal’s critics was that she chastised him for having Jones’ witness appear on live with him to discuss the case. At one point, Judge Gamble reminded Jones, “This is not your programme.”
Jones finally admitted defeat. There was a Sandy Hook.
Despite his earlier denials, Jones finally admitted in court that the Sandy Hook massacre was “100 percent” true. According to Jones, who broadcast parts implying that Heslin lied about having his deceased kid in his arms, he “unintentionally” took part in things that did harm these people’s sentiments. “I’m very sorry,” she said.
Although Jones has renounced this notion, legal writer Ken White warned before the decision that the judgement would not necessarily limit the audience for his often incorrect assertions or his capacity to generate money from them. When people liked Sandy Hook truthers, it wasn’t because the facts were solid or the logic made sense. Instead, White argues that people liked them because of the way they made them feel. “The drudgery of legal jargon is probably insufficient to influence their view.” As a result, Jones may weigh the advantages and disadvantages of bringing a defamation suit. It’s estimated that thus far the legal expenses and today’s 4 million judgement have cost 15 million, not including the annual savings of 10s of millions in penalties.
Even still, the trials aren’t done yet, and they’ll continue to be a pain for Jones.