Friday A Texas jury awarded Alex Jones $45.2 million in punitive damages to parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim I ordered This was the day after Infowars organizers decided they had to pay them$4.1 million in compensatory damages for the suffering caused by his lies about the 2012 massacre. }.
Scarlett, who killed his 6-year-old son Jesse in an attack in Newtown, Connecticut. I was asking for a dollar award. Their first request was $150 million.
Ball argued that such a sum of money alone would be enough to "rob the loudspeaker" from Jones. Please don't just take the platform that's there, but don't let him rebuild it, that's the point," he said. "That's the punishment, that's the deterrent."[11][12]Jones' attorney, Andino Reynal, told the jury that Jones and the other talk show host, "Their standard of care was It has to be different," he said, sending a message with his $4.1 million judgment. He also argued that the substantial prize money only served to deter those who questioned the "government officials who dropped the ball" from doing so. We challenged the ruling, alleging that it did not comply with Texas law, which limits the amount of actual awards per person to $750,000. The judge upheld the objection, adding that the law implied that states "don't trust juries."
Punitive damages are specifically designed to punish those who commit harmful acts.
The jury's decision was based on the expert testimony of forensic economist Bernard Pettingill, whose testimony showed how much money Jones had and, in turn, his actions. Pettingill put the value of Jones and his company at $135 million to $270 million. Estimates, which his lawyers have disputed, suggest that Jones and his company made more money after being "deplatformed" by several social media outlets in 2018. said. Mr. Jones alleged throughout the trial that his company suffered losses because he was removed from the site.
Pettingill also testified that after Jones was held liable in the default judgment in the Sandy Hook case, he began paying $11,000 a day to shell companies he controlled.
"He is a very successful man," he testified. "He spread some hate speech and misinformation, but he made a lot of money and monetized it."
It was merely asked to determine whether Jones had already been found liable by thejudgefor failing to produce material evidence before the trial began. Jesse's parents must be paid for the emotional distress and reputational damage caused by the false allegations.
The trial included testimony from both parents and Jones. claimed to be included. He later admitted it had been done.
Heslin and Lewis testified on Tuesday that Jones' lies threatened their lives and exacerbated their grief. Being shot in front of a classroom is excruciating.I can't believe I'm going to survive and perpetuate the lie that there was someone on top of it.It was a false flag." Lewis spoke directly to Jones in his testimony. "I don't think you understand the horror you perpetuate, not just to the families of the victims, but to our families, our friends, and the survivors of that school." Crucially, on a 2017 episode of NBC's "Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly," Heslin appeared to challenge Jones' denial of the shooting. Heslin said in the episode:
Jones and another Infowars host, Owen Schroyer, later implied that Heslin lied.
Heslin and Lewis filed a lawsuit against Jones, alleging that his statements that the shooting was a hoax led to years of abuse from his supporters. He is one of several Sandy Hook families that have arisen.
