Conspiracy pusher Alex Jones was dealt another major financial blow on Friday after a jury for the second day in a row ruled that he would have to pay millions more in his defamation case against Sandy Hook parents.
On Friday, a jury ruled that Jones should pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre after a judge ruled that the Infowars founder defaming them with his frequent comments that they were crisis actors and that the The jury decided yesterday that Jones should pay more than $4 million in damages to the parents.
The lawyer for Neil Heslin and the parents of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis asked the jury to award over $150 million in damages, arguing that it was the only way to send a lasting message.
Attorney Wes Ball told jurors to make sure he couldn't do it again. It's punishment. That's a deterrent.
According to Jones's legal team, the Infowars founder had offered to have Heslin and Lewis on his show as guests and apologized multiple times. They argued to the judge that the judgment should be limited to $750,000 per parent, for a total of 1.5 million dollars.
Lewis said it was an important day for truth and justice and he couldn't be happier.
She said that the result was a strong message to the world that choosing love is what we need to do.
The second phase of the trial heard evidence about Jones's net worth and determined how much to award in damages.
Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis testified that their lives had descended into a "living hell" in which they were confronted by strangers and received death threats. A forensic psychologist testified that they had experienced a form of post-traumatic stress disorder similar to what soldiers go through in war zones.
Heslin said that the last nine and a half years have been the worst of his life.
Lewis spoke directly to Jones from the witness stand, pleading with him to confront his actions.
Lewis said, "It seems so incredible to me that we have to force you to stop lying." I'm happy this day is here. I am happy. I have to say all this to you, and I'm grateful.
Families of Sandy Hook victims and an FBI agent who responded to the scene of the crime brought defamation charges against him and the website he started in 1999.
Jones tried to delay the trials by not turning over documents. The first trial to determine damages for Heslin and Lewis began on July 26.
Even though he was under oath, Jones was evasive and deceptive.
He lied on the stand when he said that he was bankrupt and that he had turned over information to the lawsuit. The parent company of InfoWars filed for federal bankruptcy protection last month, but that won't be confirmed until a final hearing is held.
Mark Bankston, an attorney for the parents of Sandy Hook, told Jones that his lawyers accidentally sent him the contents of Jones's cellphone that contained information about Sandy Hook. Jones had testified that he had searched for text messages about the massacre, but was unable to find them.
The US House committee is looking into the assault on the Capitol.
Jones tried to backtrack on his claims about Sandy Hook. Jones had portrayed his trial as a fight for the First Amendment in which he had only been questioning established narratives about mass tragedies.
I think it was irresponsible. Since I have met the parents. He said it's true. The media will not allow me to take it back. They want to keep me in that position.
As Donald Trump rose to power, the jury trial exposed how lucrative Jones'sInfowars venture had become. The net worth of the parent company of Infowars is between $135 million and $270 million according to an economic consultant.
Within hours of the verdict on Wednesday, Jones was back in anInfowars video, railing about how he'd been treated in court and claiming the millions of dollars he'll have to pay as a victory. He appealed to viewers to give him money.
One trial in Texas and one in Connecticut are related to Jones' Sandy Hook conspiracy.
He said that if they don't get funding, they will shut down.
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