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In a whopping ruling announced Wednesday, a jury in Connecticut awarded nearly $1 billion to eight victims’ families and an FBI agent who were defamed by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who repeatedly claimed that the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax.
Twenty-six people, including 20 children, were killed, but Jones’ rabid fan base harassed many of their families and even issued death threats over baseless claims that they were involved in a “false flag” operation.
On Wednesday, Jones was ordered to pay $965 million. As NBC News reported, “The jury made 15 individual awards that ranged from $28.8 million to $120 million. The families and agent also received separate punitive damages.” Jones’ lawyer has vowed to appeal the decision.
To clear up any confusion, this ruling is in addition to the $4 million-plus that Jones was ordered to pay last month for defaming a Sandy Hook family. In that case, Jones was ordered to pay an additional $45 million in punitive damages. A forensic economist who testified during that trial estimated Jones and his media company have a combined net worth likely between $135 million and $270 million — far short of the more than $1 billion in total damages he faces so far. The actual amount Jones pays could be far less when all is said and done. But that doesn't mean the cases won't strain him financially.
Jones aired Wednesday’s court proceeding on his web show. In this nearly eight-minute clip, you can see and hear his emotional reaction as the judgments against him are read aloud.
It didn’t take long for Jones to start begging his followers for money. Although he's earned millions through his conspiracy theory-based company, he filed for bankruptcy while facing these various defamation lawsuits and the threat of debt collectors. Given Wednesday’s ruling, he can rest assured they’re coming.
But there are broader implications here. This case is just the latest example of victims of right-wing hatemongers successfully seeking justice through civil court rather than relying solely on criminal prosecutions to hold people accountable for dangerous rhetoric.
Last year, we saw survivors win a multimillion-dollar case brought against white nationalist groups who participated in the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which an anti-racist protester was killed.
The nonprofit group representing the plaintiffs in that case, Integrity First for America, was clear in saying that its intent was to exact a hefty judgment from the extremists to deter others from going down that path.
And opponents of right-wing predation could notch another win in short order. The District of Columbia’s attorney general, Karl Racine, is trying to sue extremists into oblivion with a civil suit he has brought against groups who participated in the deadly pro-Trump siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The Jones ruling shows there’s a pathway to reparation being established for victims of right-wing disinformation and intimidation.
Hatemongers like him who manage to elude the teeth of the criminal justice system (and there are many) should beware Wednesday’s verdict. The civil justice system bites, too.