A Texas jury ordered Alex Jones to pay $ 45.2 million in punitive damages to the Parents of Sandy Hook victims.
The million dollar charge comes on top of another $4.1 million compensatory charge that the jury awarded to Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, the parents of a 6-year-old who was killed in the Sandy Hook mass shooting that took the lives of 19 other children and six educators. The trial is the first of three which Jones will face the accusations of conspiratorial comments he made following the tragedy where he denied it even happened.
Jones has two more trials to go. He will sit in court in Texas and another in Delaware next month. There he will have to face the families of more of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. These trials are due to the family’s allegations that Jones defamed them in the aftermath of the shooting.
Todd Ball, Lewis and Heslin’s attorney, told the jury in his closing statement: “We ask that you send a very, very simple message, and that is, stop Alex Jones. Stop the monetization of misinformation and lies. Please.”
According to CNN Andino Reynal, Jones’ attorney, argued that a fair fine for the Infowars host would be about a quarter of a million dollars. Reynal claims Jones should be fined according to his reported earnings. Jones reportedly makes $14,000 per hour for the 18 hours of show time that he made false claims about Sandy Hook.
Jones’ Attorney argued that the media host had made a “terrible mistake.” He then went on to ask the jury to fine his client just $1.
“He made a terrible mistake,” according to NBC News Reynal told jurors. “That mistake was weaponized by the same political forces that had descended upon Sandy Hook when it happened.”
Jones testified during the trial that the media, and his critics, had never allowed him the chance to take back his comments. This is despite his retractions and admissions that he was wrong.
Both parents testified during the trial, illustrating very little sympathy for Jones. Heslin said that “the negligence and recklessness of Alex Jones” had made his life a “living hell.”
Lewis added in his testimony that, “having a 6-year-old son shot in front of his classroom is unbearable and you don’t think you’re going to survive and then to have someone on top of that perpetuate a lie that it was a hoax, that it was a false flag.”
Lewis continued by saying, “I don’t think you understand the fear you perpetuate, not just to the victim’s family but to our family, our friends and any survivor from that school.”
