Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his firm have been ordered Thursday to pay a further $473 million in punitive damages to households of the victims of the Sandy Hook bloodbath over selling the falsehood that the 2012 faculty capturing was a hoax.
The order is a part of a Connecticut lawsuit introduced in opposition to Jones and his firm Free Speech Techniques Jones for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional misery and violations of the state Unfair Commerce Practices Act. The plaintiffs testified in court docket that Jones profited off his lies that the varsity capturing by no means occurred whereas they have been harassed and abused by those that believed him.
Thursday’s order, imposed by Connecticut Choose Barabara Bellis, is along with the $965 million jurors final month ordered Jones to pay to the households of the capturing victims and an FBI agent who responded to the assault for the struggling he precipitated them by spreading the lies on his platforms, together with his present Infowars, concerning the bloodbath.
“The document clearly helps the plaintiffs’ argument that the defendants’ conduct was intentional and malicious, and sure to trigger hurt by advantage of their infrastructure, potential to unfold content material, and big viewers together with the ‘infowarriors,’” Bellis wrote in a 45-page ruling.
“This depravity, and merciless, persistent course of conduct by the defendants established the best diploma of reprehensibility and blameworthiness,” she wrote.
The punitive damages Jones was ordered to pay included greater than $323 million in lawyer charges and prices and $150 million for violations of Connecticut’s Unfair Commerce Practices Act, which bars unfair and misleading acts in enterprise in addition to unfair competitors.
Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook households, instructed The Related Press he hoped that the punitive damages awarded Thursday ship a message to conspiracy theorists who revenue from lies.
“The Courtroom acknowledged the ‘intentional, malicious … and heinous’ conduct of Mr. Jones and his enterprise entities,” Mattei stated in a press release.
An lawyer for Jones, Norm Pattis, didn’t instantly reply to request for touch upon Thursday’s order. Pattis has beforehand requested for a extra average verdict, stated the trial was unfair and that he would enchantment.
Twenty kids and 6 educators have been killed after a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty in Newtown, Connecticut, and opened hearth on Dec. 14, 2012.
Jones had already been discovered liable by a decide after refusing at hand over crucial proof earlier than the trial started, and this six-member jury was solely requested to determine how a lot Jones ought to pay. The Connecticut trial was the second associated to his Sandy Hook conspiracy theories. In August, a Texas jury ordered Jones to pay almost $50 million in damages to Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, whose son Jesse was killed within the bloodbath.
