Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been ordered to pay nearly $1 billion in damages to the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
It is a devastating blow against Jones’ empire and sends a clear message from the jury that his lies have had crippling consequences.
Jones has falsely claimed for years that the 2012 school massacre, in which 20 children and six teachers were killed, was a plot staged by anti-gun activists and that the victims’ families were actually actors.
A Connecticut jury ordered Jones to pay the massive sum to people who said they have suffered as a result of the rightwing media figure’s claims that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.
Some of these families have sued Jones, arguing that they have suffered abuse and death threats and that he has profited by spreading lies. Jones now faces financial ruin for his lies.
Jones admitted during the trial that the Sandy Hook shooting was real. But the man continued to lash out, exploding during questioning. “I’ve already said I’m sorry, and I’m done saying I’m sorry,” he said.
Jones was ordered to pay a total of $965 million in damages to the families of eight victims and an FBI agent who responded to the shooting, the culmination of three weeks of testimony during which plaintiffs described being harassed by people who believed the lies Jones told.
“Every single one of these families was drowning in grief, and Alex Jones put his foot right on top of them,” lawyer Chris Mattei told the jury.
The lawsuit alleged that InfoWars used the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory to gain listeners and make money, presenting evidence that sales of diet pills and other products rose after Jones began discussing the shooting.
Jones told InfoWars listeners that there “ain’t no money” to pay the damages and that he will appeal. Earlier this year, companies owned by Jones filed for bankruptcy.
The Sandy Hook families have challenged the bankruptcy in court. Jones’s annual revenues have topped $50 million in recent years from hawking diet supplements, survivalist gear, and gun paraphernalia on his broadcasts.
He has also used the Connecticut trial as well as a trial this past summer in Texas — in which he was ordered to pay two Sandy Hook parents about $50 million — to solicit donations to his legal fund and boost his product sales.
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