Wednesday, a Connecticut jury ruled that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay $965 million to victims of his false allegation that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a fabrication.
The verdict is the second major judgment against the Infowars host for his persistent propagation of the falsehood that the 2012 massacre never occurred and that the mourning family depicted in news coverage were actors hired as part of a scheme to take away people’s firearms.
It was included in a lawsuit filed by the relatives of five children, three educators, and an FBI agent who was one of the first responders at the scene. A Texas jury awarded nearly $50 million to the parents of another murdered kid in August.
At the trial in Connecticut, parents and siblings of the victims testified in tears about how they were threatened and harassed for years by those who believed the falsehoods on Jones’ show.
They were recorded at their residences by strangers. On social media, individuals flung insults. Erica Lafferty, the daughter of killed Sandy Hook elementary school principal Dawn Hochsprung, testified that rape threats were addressed to her residence. Mark Barden described how conspiracy theorists urinated on the grave of his 7-year-old son, Daniel, and then threatened to unearth the casket.
Jones said during his testimony that he had been wrong about Sandy Hook. He stated that the shooting was legitimate. But he was belligerent in both the courts and on his talk program.
He referred to the proceedings as a “kangaroo court,” made fun of the judge, referred to the plaintiffs’ attorney as a “ambulance chaser,” and described the case as a violation of free speech rights. He alleged that the Democrats and the media were conspiring to suppress him and put him out of business.
During his testimony, he stated, “I’ve already said ‘I’m sorry’ hundreds of times, and I’m done saying ‘I’m sorry’.”
Twenty children and six adults were killed by gunfire on December 14, 2012. The slander trial was held in a courthouse in Waterbury, some 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the attack site in Newtown.
Jones and Infowars’ parent business, Free Speech Systems, were accused in the complaint of leveraging the mass murder to expand his audience and generate millions of dollars. Experts testified that Jones’ audience and product sales increased after he discussed Sandy Hook on his program.
In both the Texas and Connecticut lawsuits, judges found the company liable for damages by default after Jones failed to comply with court rules regarding the sharing of evidence, including failing to turn over documents that could have revealed whether Infowars had profited from spreading false information about mass shootings.
Jones was prohibited from citing free speech rights and other matters during his testimony because he had previously been held responsible.
In a lawsuit filed by the parents of another kid slain in the incident, Jones will now face a third trial in Texas by the end of the year.
Uncertainty surrounds the amount of the verdicts that Jones can afford to pay. During the Texas trial, he testified that he could not pay any judgment above $2 million. Free Speech Systems has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In Texas, however, an economist testified that Jones and his company were worth as much as $270 million.
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