Washington(Coinchapter.com): Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should have to pay $1 billion to the people who suffered as a result of his false claim that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. The jury in Connecticut made this decision on Wednesday.
The outcome was another big verdict against the InfoWars host for his relentless promotion of the lie that the 2012 massacre never happened. And that the grieving families seen in news coverage were actors who were hired to take away people’s guns.
The lawsuit was brought forth by the relatives of five children and three teachers who were killed in the mass shooting, as well as an FBI agent to the scene. A Texas jury awarded $50 million to the parents of another slain child.
At the Connecticut trial, the parents and siblings of victims told the jury about how they were threatened and harassed for years by people who believed the lies told on Jones’ program.
People drove to their homes to record them, people hurled abusive comments on social media, and Erica Lafferty testified that people mailed rape threats to her house. Finally, Mark Barden told of how people urinated on his son Daniel’s grave and threatened to dig up the coffin.
During the trail, Alex Jones admitted that he had been wrong about Sandy Hook. The shooting was real, and he apologized for his behavior during the trial. However, Jones remained defiant in public appearances and his show; he did not apologize or even admit his mistake there.
He said the trial was a “kangaroo court,” mocked the judge and labeled the case as a conspiracy by Democrats and the media to silence him, putting his business out of business.
“I’ve already said ‘I’m sorry’ hundreds of times, and I’m ready to move on,” Alex Jones said.
In December of 2012, 20 children and six adults died in a shooting. The atrocity was only compounded by the defamation trial that took place at a courthouse in Waterbury, which is only about 20 miles from Newtown.
The lawsuit claims that Alex Jones and Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, made millions of dollars by using the Sandy Hook shooting as a way to build his audience. Professionals testified that his viewership swelled and revenue increased when he made the topic of Sandy Hook.
In both the Texas lawsuit and the one in Connecticut, judges found Infowars liable for damages by default after Jones failed to cooperate with court rules.
He also refused to turn over records that might have shown whether or not he’d profited from knowingly spreading misinformation about mass killings.
Jones was barred from mentioning free speech rights and other topics after already being found liable.
Alex Jones now facing a third trial, in Texas, around the end of the year. The lawsuit had been filed by another grieving parent of a victim who had also died in the shooting.
It is unclear how much of the verdicts Alex Jones can afford to pay. He has been fighting large legal judgements for years. In the trial in Texas, he testified he couldn’t afford any judgement over $2 million. Free Speech Systems has filed for bankruptcy protection. However, an economist testified in the Texas proceeding that Jones and his company were worth as much as $270 million.
