To plaintiffs, David Wheeler, A, defamation slash
slander damages past and future, $25 million.
B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $30 million.
Total fair just and reasonable damages to plaintiffs, David Wheeler and
against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems at line A and B.
$55 million initials by your number one.
>> With plaintiffs sobbing in the gallery.
The clerk just read out loud the verdict in which the jury has decided compensatory
damages, Alex Jones has to pay to the parents of the Sandy Hook victims for
both slander and for emotional distress.
It's a good day in America.
And for all of the alleged free speech absolutists who seem to only care about
free speech when it comes to right wingers like Alex Jones who engage in speech that
isn't even protected in our constitution, I say good day, [LAUGH] bye bye.
You have no argument, this is not protected speech.
Terrorizing parents who lost their children in a tragedy in a mass
shooting using defamatory statements against them, not protected speech.
And here's another piece of proof to give you to make that point.
Now, how much will he pay in total?
Well, the jury ordered Infowars founder Alex Jones to pay $965 million
in damages to the families of eight victims of the Sandy Hook shooting for
the suffering caused by years of lies that the massacre was a hoax.
If you haven't paid any attention to the trials.
You haven't watched any of the trial proceedings.
One thing that's important for you to keep in mind is that through the trial, which
was meant to decide what the punitive and compensatory damages would be.
We learned,
we've seen evidence indicating that Alex Jones knew full well what he was doing.
He knew that his broadcasts were defamatory.
He knew that he was defaming these parents.
He knew that calling it a hoax was complete and utter Bs and
he continued doing it knowing full well that members of
his own audience were terrorizing these victims.
Defamatory content is not protected speech.
Hate speech, unfortunately protected speech,
you can use all the hate speech you want.
The government cannot punish you for that, but defamatory speech is not protected.
Destroying one's reputation the way that Alex Jones did with his audience
toward these, again, victims not protected speech, let me continue.
It's really hard for some people who pander to the right wing to understand
that, it's almost like they engage in willful ignorance.
This is by far the largest award to date in a multipronged
legal battle by the families to hold Jones responsible.
The size of the damages is a sign that the jurors found the defendants conduct
particularly reprehensible, and I would agree with them on that, and harmful.
And it has been harmful as I've shared multiple times on this show.
The Posner family, in particular, had to move dozens of times just to escape
the threats that they were dealing with from members of Alex Jones audience.
Think about the money involved in having to relocate time after time after time
after you lost your child in a tragic mass shooting.
The largest single award of $120 million dollars went to Robbie Parker whose
six-year-old daughter Emilie was killed in the shooting.
Jones spent years mocking Parker as an actor.
The plaintiffs also included an FBI agent who responded to the shooting and
was awarded $90 million in damages.
And here's a little more on the trial from ABC Investigative Reporter,
Aaron Katersky, who was actually present for the trial.
Let's watch Alex jones was not present as this jury award was read.
Instead, his lawyer sat alone at the defense table.
But you saw the families, the plaintiffs, 15 of them,
relatives of the dead plus an FBI agent who responded to the scene,
sat weeping in the Spectator's gallery as this award was read and
they said it was never for the money, it was meant really to shut down Alex jones.
They did not necessarily want the compensation, but
they effectively wanted to bankrupt him.
Well, I hope their mission will be accomplished.
He deserves it.
He destroyed the lives of innocent people who had already been victimized
by one of the most brutal tragedies losing their Children and he did it for profit.
And I think it's really important to send a message to anyone who works in media
that while money might take priority over everything else, including the truth,
you're not allowed to engage in defamatory rhetoric.
You're not allowed to destroy people's lives in your quest for profit.
Now, Connecticut case, the Connecticut case,
which is the one we're talking about here is one of three cases against Alex jones.
So the pain ain't over yet.
In August a jury in a different case in Texas said Jones must pay nearly
$50 million Jesse Lewis, a six year old killed in Sandy Hook.
The actual payout, however,
will be far far smaller due to limits meaning a cap on such awards.
In addition, he has another upcoming trial,
the with other families from the Sandy Hook tragedy.
This time it'll take place in texas, but will he pay?
That's the real question here.
The state of jones finances or murky as we all know, he tried to file for
bankruptcy to try to skirt any financial liability that stems
from his defamatory content In the Texas trial.
Bernard Pentonville, Pentonville of Forensic economists
hired by the Plaintiffs estimated that Jones and
his companies have a net worth of up to $270 million.
In fact, this forensic economist also said Jones withdrew 62 million in 2021.
Jones has said his businesses are struggling earlier this year, Info Wars
and its parent company, Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy protection.
Now, they might have filed for bankruptcy protection, we'll see how that actually
turns out for Alex jones and info wars, Usually wealthy people have all sorts of
shell games and all sorts of scams and tricks they engage in to hide their money.
But for me, the most important thing here, and
I think the families agree with me on this is that it sends a message that again,
if you put your own profit motive, if you put money above the lives and
well beings of your fellow americans, if you defame them in your quest for
profit and money and wealth, there are consequences for that.
And I would just love for people in this country to really fully
understand our constitution and the limitations that we have
in regard to Free speech, because not all speech is protected.
And as we see here, defamation is not something that you can just put out
there into the world with absolutely no consequences.
Sometimes when people are willing to fight back after they've been defamed, there
are consequences, and I should know a lot of right wingers have tried to sue us for
defamation, they failed because we don't defame people here.
But while right wingers claim that they love Free speech,
they want to protect Free speech, They can't wait to try to intimidate you from
speaking the truth by filing phony meritless defamation lawsuits themselves