But I’m glad the parents of Sandy Hook have gotten some justice,” union President Randi Weingarten said in a tweet. “Nothing will ever fix the pain of losing a child, or of watching that tragedy denied for political reasons. A message for the first time to a talk show host, to all talk show hosts, that their standard of care has to change,” Reynal said.įriday’s damages drew praise from the American Federation of Teachers union, which represented the teachers at Sandy Hook. They argued for a punitive amount of less than $300,000. “He’s got money put in a bank account somewhere.”īut Jones’ lawyers said their client had already learned his lesson. “That number represents, in my opinion, a value of a net worth,” Pettingill said. Lies, you pay for.”Īn economist testified that Jones and the company are worth up to $270 million.īernard Pettingill, who was hired by the plaintiffs to study Jones’ net worth, said records show that Jones withdrew $62 million for himself in 2021, when default judgments were issued in lawsuits against him. “Send the message to those who desire to do the same: Speech is free. “You have the ability to stop this man from ever doing it again,” Wesley Ball, an attorney for the parents, told the jury Friday. If other juries do, Covert said, “it could very well put Jones out of business.”Īttorneys for the family had urged jurors to hand down a financial punishment that would force Infowars to shut down. “Everyone with a show like this who knowingly tells lies - juries will not tolerate it.”įuture jurors in other pending Sandy Hook trials could see the damages amounts in this case as a benchmark, Covert said. “With $50 million in all, the jury has sent a huge, loud message that this behavior will not be tolerated,” Covert said.
A high punitive award is also seen as a chance for jurors to send a wider societal message and a way to deter others from the same abhorrent conduct in the future.īarry Covert, a Buffalo, New York, First Amendment lawyer with no connection to the Jones case, said the total damages awarded amount to “a stunning loss for Jones.” Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt.
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Jones testified this week that any award over $2 million would “sink us.” His company Free Speech Systems, which is Infowars’ Austin-based parent company, filed for bankruptcy protection during the first week of the trial. But he said even if the award is drastically cut, it’s just as important to take the big verdict into the bankruptcy court for the family to claim against Jones’ estate and company. Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Bankston said he believes he can challenge any attempt to reduce the damages. He faces yet another defamation lawsuit in Connecticut. Another defamation lawsuit against Jones by a Sandy Hook family is set to start pretrial hearings in the same Austin court on Sept. Jones’ companies and personal wealth could also get carved up by other lawsuits and bankruptcy. He’s going to keep doing his job holding the power structure accountable.” … Alex Jones will be on the air today, he’ll be on the air tomorrow, he’ll be on the air next week.
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