"He is a very successful man," forensic economist Bernard Pettingill said of Jones. Sandy Hook parents who sued Jones over his false "hoax" claims about the ...
Pettingill testified that Jones "promulgated some hate speech and some misinformation, but he made a lot of money and he monetized that." "He didn't ride a wave, he created the wave," Pettingill told the court, explaining that he believes Jones is a "revolutionary." "As much of a maverick that he is, as much of an outsider that he is, he is a very successful man," Pettingill said of Jones as he likened the broadcaster to 13th century Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan.
A Texas jury awarded Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis $4.1 million, but now they must consider punitive damages for Infowars' Alex Jones.
“What I did to those families was wrong, but I didn’t do it on purpose,” Jones said before giving his audience a pitch to send money to keep Infowars on the air. “What a way to honor Jesse,” Bankston said. Both later took the stand to give heart-wrenching testimony about Jesse and his last hours before he was killed by a lone gunman with 19 of his classmates and six educators. The 12-member jury also had to decide how much Heslin and Lewis should receive for the intentional infliction of mental anguish that spanned from 2013 to 2018. Jones arrived at the beginning of the day but left after roughly 10 minutes of testimony and had not returned by early afternoon. “He shouldn’t have done it, he explained to why it happened.” That award would send a message not only to Jones but to other’s like him who promote conspiracy theories, Ball said. “He is the company.” Pellingill did not have access to financial records that Jones was supposed to file as part of the lawsuit. He also didn’t suffer any financial loses since being “deplatformed” — barred from several social media companies in 2018 for hate speech. Free Speech Systems is a private company, not publicly traded, so Jones does not have to submit paperwork to the state of Texas, he said. The jury must agree unanimously what the amount of damages will be, the judge said.
The trial this week for damages that the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay to the parents of a child killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook ...
Thursday’s decision was the first time Mr. Jones had been held financially liable for defaming the victims’ parents. Jurors learned on Wednesday that Mr. Jones’s lawyer hadaccidentally sent two years’ worth of text messagesto the families’ lawyers. This week’s trial is the first of three that will determine how much Mr. Jones owes the families for the suffering he has caused. Mr. Jones said the amount had stemmed from a particularly lucrative period during the Conservative Political Action Conference. Two other trials to establish damages for Sandy Hook parents from Mr. Jones have been scheduled for next month, though they may be delayed because his companyfiled for bankruptcylast week. At one point, Mr. Jones was paying himself an average of $6 million a year, Mr. Pettingill said.
A Texas jury has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook ...
But Heslin and Lewis told jurors that an apology wouldn’t suffice and called on them to make Jones pay for the years of suffering he has put them and other Sandy Hook families through. They said the threats and harassment were all fueled by Jones and his conspiracy theory spread to his followers via his website Infowars. His erratic behavior is unusual by courtroom standards, and the judge has scolded him, telling him at one point: “This is not your show.” Bankston later said he planned to comply with the committee's request. “Send the message to those who desire to do the same: Speech is free. The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut. Jurors at first awarded Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages, which Jones called a major victory. The committee first subpoenaed Jones in November, demanding a deposition and documents related to his efforts to spread misinformation about the 2020 election and a rally on the day of the attack. Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. Jones called it a record sales day. “He’s got money put in a bank account somewhere.” “You’ve already sent a message.
Jurors were asked to assess punitive damages against InfoWars host Alex Jones after hitting him with $4.1 million in actual damages on Thursday.
On Thursday, jurors had awarded a total of $4.1 million to Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, determining that Jones and Free Speech Systems must pay each parent $2 million for mental anguish. "We ask that you send a very, very simple message, and that is: Stop Alex Jones, stop the monetization of misinformation and lies," he said. "To my thinking, he didn't ride the wave, he created the wave." Pettingill was the only witness who testified on net worth. Reynal had earlier indicated that Jones also would testify, but he did not. - $4.2 million for defaming Heslin in two reports that questioned his account of holding his dead son. "You've already sent a message. That is punishment. That is deterrence," he said, noting that the jury's next task was to assess punitive damages that are meant to punish Jones for the damage caused by years of portraying the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a hoax intended to justify a government crackdown on guns. "Make sure he can't do it again. While Thursday's $4.1 million award was to compensate Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of slain 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, for damage directly caused by Jones' years-long campaign to portray the 2012 attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School as a hoax, the punitive damages awarded Friday were intended to punish Jones for his actions. "I got to look into his yes and I got to tell him the impact of what his actions had on me and my family, and not just us but all the other Sandy Hook families, all the people who live in Sandy Hook, and then the ripple effect that had throughout the world," she said.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company Free Speech Systems are worth up to $270 million, an economist testified Friday to a ...
But Heslin and Lewis told jurors that an apology wouldn’t suffice and called on them to make Jones pay for the years of suffering he has put them and other Sandy Hook families through. They said the threats and harassment were all fueled by Jones and his conspiracy theory spread to his followers via Infowars. Bankston later said he planned to comply with the committee's request. His erratic behavior is unusual by courtroom standards, and the judge has scolded him, telling him at one point: “This is not your show.” After the verdict, Lewis said that Jones — who wasn't in the courtroom to hear the verdict — has been held accountable. Another defamation lawsuit against Jones by a Sandy Hook family is set to start pretrial hearings in the same Austin court on Sept. 14. But I’m glad the parents of Sandy Hook have gotten some justice," AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a tweet. Plaintiffs' attorney Mark Bankston said he believes he can challenge any attempt to reduce the damages. It could take a while for the plaintiffs to collect anything. He’s going to keep doing his job holding the power structure accountable.” But the trial marks the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut. "I hope that I did that incredible courage justice when I was able to confront Alex Jones, who is also a bully.
It's the culmination of the head-spinning nine-day trial, but Jones is also on the hook for another defamation suit in Connecticut.
Attorneys for the parents argued that Jones’ rhetoric painted a target on parents’ backs for the thousands of avid InfoWars conspiracists. Ball said before deliberations that the $4.1 million fine levied against Jones was “less than 2% of what we know” of Jones’ total wealth. Parent Neil Heslin, who’s 6-year-old son was killed in 2012, said Alex Jones’ conspiracies made life a “ living hell” saying that his home had been shot at and that he had found bullet casings in his driveway. InfoWars’ Alex Jones now has the full weight of a $45.2 million fine sitting on his balding head after a jury determined the man who made a fortune broadcasting conspiracies and lies must finally pay for them. But there’s also a consideration of how his many other holding companies like PLJR Holding and AEJ Austin Holdings LLC have potentially helped move money away Free Speech Systems, as has been alleged by the Sandy Hook parents. Pettingill told the jury that Jones is manager or agent for somewhere around nine private entities that aren’t publicly traded.
The jury awarded the money to the parents of a boy who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Jones has said the attack was a hoax.
But Heslin and Lewis told jurors that an apology wouldn't suffice and called on them to make Jones pay for the years of suffering he has put them and other Sandy Hook families through. They said the threats and harassment were all fueled by Jones and his conspiracy theory spread to his followers via his website Infowars. His erratic behavior is unusual by courtroom standards, and the judge has scolded him, telling him at one point: "This is not your show." Bankston later said he planned to comply with the committee's request. The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut. "Send the message to those who desire to do the same: Speech is free. Jones called it a record sales day. "He's got money put in a bank account somewhere." Jurors at first awarded Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages, which Jones called a major victory. Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. "You've already sent a message. Lies, you pay for."
Jurors began considering additional punitive damages Friday as a separate issue. The parents want to punish Jones for a decade of pushing false hoax claims that ...
But Heslin and Lewis told jurors that an apology wouldn’t suffice and called on them to make Jones pay for the years of suffering he has put them and other Sandy Hook families through. They said the threats and harassment were all fueled by Jones as his conspiracy theory spread to his followers via his website Infowars. His erratic behavior is unusual by courtroom standards, and the judge has scolded him, telling him at one point: “This is not your show.” The parents want to punish Jones for a decade of pushing false hoax claims that they say led to a decade of trauma and abuse from the Infowars host’s followers. Bankston later said he planned to comply with the committee’s request. The same jury ordered Jones to pay Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis $4.1 million in compensation for defamation. The committee first subpoenaed Jones in November, demanding a deposition and documents related to his efforts to spread misinformation about the 2020 election and a rally on the day of the attack. Jones called it a record sales day. “You are asked to punish Alex Jones,” Ball said. “He’s got money put in a bank account somewhere.” “You’ve already sent a message. Lawyers for the family suing Jones contend that Jones has tried to hide evidence of his true wealth and have sued him claiming he’s tried to hide money in various shell companies.
The worlds of mainstream politics, MAGA fanaticism and fringe conspiracy theory have collided. And Trump is right there in the middle of it all.
Other law enforcement official are likely to express interest in the contents of his phone. In the law, she told him, truth was actually a real thing. Right-wing media, with nudges from the former president himself, has become habituated to Big Lies and apocalyptic conspiracy theories. He told his followers that the mass murder at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, “was a false flag, mind-control event.” The Columbine school shootings were “100 percent false flag,” as were the attacks in Orlando, Florida, Las Vegas and San Bernardino, California. To the contrary, he flourished in the growing alternative reality bubble where he could drive the political narrative, regardless of fact-checkers. But more important, as his audience grew, Jones’ conspiracy theories were amplified by others in the right-wing media ecosystem. “Your reputation is amazing, I will not let you down,” Trump told Jones in a December 2015 appearance. “You must tell the truth while you testify,“ Judge Maya Guerra Gamble told Jones. “This is not your show. Instead of being shunned or marginalized, Jones found that lying was a lucrative business model that leads to celebrity and political clout. According to his own leaked text messages, at some points Jones claimed he was bringing in $800,000 a day. The grieving parents were subjected to years of threats, insults and intimidation. Jones claimed that the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was a “deep state false flag operation” engineered to start a civil war.
Alex Jones is a conspiracy theorist and host of Infowars. Jones recently lost a trial against one of the families of a Sandy Hook victim.
Calculations establish that Alex Jones has a net worth between $135 million and $270 million. "I was blessed with him for six and a half years. Alex Jones has a total net worth of $40 million.