Jury finds Alex Jones caused $4 million in damages to two Sandy Hook parents

Source: CNN Business

New York (CNN Business)Right-wing talk show host Alex Jones will have to pay the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim a little more than $4 million in compensatory damages, a jury decided Thursday, capping a stunning and dramatic case that showcased for the public the real-world harm inflicted by viral conspiracy theories.

The plaintiffs, Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, had asked for $150 million in compensatory damages to be awarded when the trial started.
A separate, shorter trial during which punitive damages will be discussed is now expected. Punitive damages are awarded when the court finds the defendant's behavior to be especially offensive.

The decision from the jury is a partial ending to a years-long process that began in 2018 when Lewis and Heslin sued Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, which is the parent of the right-wing media organization Infowars. Jones baselessly said in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting, in which 26 people were killed, that the incident was staged. Facing multiple lawsuits, Jones later acknowledged the shooting occurred. He testified in court this week that he now believed it to be "100% real."

But Jones failed to comply with court orders during the discovery process of the lawsuit. His failure to do so led to Heslin and Lewis winning default judgments judgements against Jones. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled in October that Jones was legally responsible for inflicting emotional distress on Heslin and Lewis. Gamble also ruled that Jones was liable for defaming Heslin. The decision to punish Jones in such terms also marks a seismic moment in American society, where the lies and conspiracy theories have flourished in recent years.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/media/alex-jones-trial-sandy-hook-decision/index.html

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EDIT TO NOTE - Please see the replies in the thread regarding what THIS judgement "means". I.e., the difference between "compensatory damages" and "punitive damages" and possible outcomes in the next phase.