A Connecticut jury on Wednesday came to the conclusion that Alex Jones must pay a former FBI operative and the Sandy Hook families millions and millions of dollars, which is close to a billion dollars.
More than a dozen plaintiffs in total, including eight families, will receive compensation from the damages, along with a former FBI operative.
One plaintiff alone will receive $120 million from Alex Jones. With more damages still to be calculated, that brought the total amount of damages to $965 million. If the appeal upholds the previously awarded damages, Jones will be liable for more than $1 billion.
A Texas jury ordered Alex Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages and $4.1 million in compensatory damages earlier this year. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the Sandy Hook parents who brought the Lone Star State lawsuit, are battling to maintain the entire judgment, although under Texas law, the punitive penalties will be scaled down.
Punitive damages in Connecticut are limited by attorneys’ fees and costs and will be paid out separately.
THE BREAKDOWN
The Connecticut plaintiffs were led by Bill Sherlach, the widower of the murdered school psychologist Mary Sherlach, who received a $36 million settlement, and retired FBI operative William Aldenberg, who received a $90 million settlement.
David and Francine Wheeler, parents of 6-year-old Benjamin Wheeler, were awarded $55 million and $54 million, respectively. Mark and Jacqueline “Jackie” Barden, parents of 7-year-old Daniel Barden, were awarded $57.6 million and $73.6 million, respectively.
Also, Ian and Nicole Hockley, parents of 6-year-old Dylan Hockley, were awarded $81.6 million and $73.6 million, respectively. Mother Donna Soto awarded $48 million, father Carlos M. Soto awarded $57.6 million, sister Carlee Soto-Parisi awarded $57.6 million and sister Jillian Soto awarded $68.8 million, all family members of slain teacher Victoria Leigh Soto. Robert Parker, Emilie Parker’s father, received $120 million.
THE ALEX JONES REMARKS
Family members of Sandy Hook victims sued Jones in both Texas and Connecticut lawsuits for defamation over broadcasts that said the government engineered the mass killing to undermine the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
The remarks ensnared the bereaved families, as well as law enforcement, in a complex conspiracy theory that painted them as crisis actors. An emotive account of the tragedy and the wave of intimidation and threats that he linked to Jones’s enormous audience was given by ex-FBI agent Aldenberg, a member of the SWAT squad that responded that day.
Aldenberg’s testimony was also collaborated with the family members of Sandy Hook, who said they faced several threats and harassment all as a result of how Alex Jones portrayed them on his Infowars network.
Consequently, the jurors were instructed by the presiding judges that their task was to determine the amount of damages incurred.
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