Photo credit: www.yahoo.com
A Connecticut appellate court has upheld a significant defamation ruling against Alex Jones, the founder of Infowars, affirming a jury’s decision from October 2022 to award nearly $1.3 billion in damages. This verdict stemmed from allegations that Jones propagated falsehoods regarding the tragic events of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 20 children and six staff members lost their lives.
The three-judge panel concluded that the jury’s decision to award $965 million in damages, along with attorneys’ fees and additional costs to the victims’ families, was justified in light of the profound emotional distress they endured as a result of Jones’s allegations. However, the court did strike down a component of the verdict, specifically the $150 million awarded under Connecticut’s unfair trade practices law, citing an improper application of that statute in this case.
For years, Jones had ontended that the Sandy Hook shooting was fabricated, claiming it involved actors and was part of a broader governmental conspiracy aimed at taking away citizens’ firearms. Although he later retracted his stance and acknowledged that the massacre indeed occurred, the plaintiffs argued that he profited from these damaging claims for an extended period.
Alinor Sterling, representing the Sandy Hook families, hailed the appellate court’s decision. “The jury’s $965 million rebuke of Jones will stand, and the families who have fought valiantly for years have brought Alex Jones yet another step closer to true justice,” she asserted.
Conversely, Jones’ attorney, Norm Pattis, criticized the outcome, arguing that the jury was misled into believing Jones had profited immensely from the conspiracy theories, thus exacerbating the families’ pain. He expressed disappointment that the appellate court did not recognize what he described as the trial’s farcical nature and announced intentions to appeal this decision to the Connecticut Supreme Court.
Following the original verdict, both Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2022. This move occurred after a similar case in Texas also resulted in a substantial judgment against Jones, with a jury awarding $49 million to other Sandy Hook families.
In a twist, the satirical news platform Onion announced plans to acquire Infowars in a bankruptcy auction held in November, although a competing bid linked to Jones is contesting this acquisition. A bankruptcy judge is slated to evaluate the Onion’s proposed purchase in an upcoming court hearing in Houston.
Source
www.yahoo.com