Alex Jones owes nearly a billion dollars for Sandy Hook lies
A jury in Connecticut found Alex Jones owes Sandy Hook parents nearly a billion dollars.
The parents of victims of the mass shooting had sued Jones over his constant lies about the shooting, calling the victims and parents crisis actors and denying the shooting happened. Twelve plaintiffs sued Jones and his parent company Free Speech Systems, which owns his news site, InfoWars.
The court had ruled against Jones after he failed to turn over documents in the civil suit, and the jury ruled on damages. The jury heard three weeks of testimony from parents who for years endured Jones' lies about the shooting.
The court awarded damages to each plaintiff, ruling on both defamation and slander damages as well as emotional distress damages. In the ruling, plaintiff Robbie Parker was listed first and awarded the largest sum, $120 million dollars. Parker had been a central focus of Jones in the wake of the shooting, who claimed he faked his distress over the loss of his child.
Other plaintiffs were awarded damages in the range of $90 million to $28 million. Among the plaintiffs, the sum of total damages adds up to $965 million.
As the judgment against Jones was read, parents who lost their children could be heard crying throughout the court.
An FBI agent was awarded $90 million in damages as well.
In August, Jones was found to owe $49 million by a court in Austin, where InfoWars is based, meaning Jones has been fined over a billion dollars for his Sandy Hook statements. Jones faces one more defamation trial.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Alex Jones owes nearly a billion dollars for Sandy Hook lies appeared first on The Daily Dot.