- Texas appeals court has slashed the $50 million judgment against Infowars' Alex Jones to $1.5 million over his false claims regarding the Sandy Hook school shooting.
- The Texas Third Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing the judgment to exceed a statutory cap on damages.
- The unanimous opinion found that Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis did not provide sufficient evidence that harassment from Jones' claims warranted exceeding the state’s $750,000 cap on damages.
- Jones described the ruling as 'a gigantic victory for the First Amendment' and indicated plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
- The 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six educators, including Jesse Lewis.
- Jones has repeatedly claimed that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged by 'crisis actors' to promote gun control.
- The 2022 verdict marked the first time Jones was held financially liable for spreading falsehoods about the Sandy Hook massacre.
- Jones' trial attorney, Andino Reynal, had predicted that the damages would be reduced to $1.5 million after the trial.
- Jones and his company have filed for bankruptcy, and separate legal proceedings are ongoing.
A Texas appeals court on Friday slashed a $50 million judgment against Alex Jones to $1.5 million for his false claims regarding the Sandy Hook school shooting. The court found that the parents of a victim did not provide sufficient evidence of harassment to exceed the state’s $750,000 cap on damages.138
The unanimous ruling by the Texas Third Court of Appeals stated that Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, failed to demonstrate that the harassment they faced from Jones' supporters was severe enough to warrant the higher damages. Heslin and Lewis's son was among 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut.25
Jones had previously been ordered to pay the hefty sum after a jury found him liable for spreading falsehoods about the massacre, which he claimed was staged by “crisis actors” to promote gun control. During the trial, he admitted that the attack was “100% real” and acknowledged that he was wrong to lie about it.
Despite the reduction, the ruling does not affect a separate $1.4 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut. He described the Texas ruling as “a gigantic victory for the First Amendment” and indicated plans to appeal further. Jones has yet to make any payments related to the judgments as he continues to contest the amounts and the liquidation of his company, Free Speech Systems.
The case marks a significant moment in the ongoing legal battles surrounding Jones, who has faced multiple financial judgments for his actions related to the Sandy Hook tragedy.
“The ruling does not affect a $1.4 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, and he has yet to make any payments as he appeals. Jones' attorney Mark Bankston dismissed the decision as 'irrelevant,' noting Jones still faces over a billion dollars in liability.”
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