Court orders Alex Jones to pay $965m for Sandy Hook lies

Alex Jones was ordered to pay $965 million (est. R17 billion) to the families of Sandy Hook victims.

Alex Jones to pay millions over Sany Hook lies: Here’s what we know

As per eNCA, the ruling is the second significant judgment against the conspiracy theorist for his steadfast promotion of myths surrounding the 2012 massacre, where he claimed the mass shooting never occurred and that the troubled families depicted in news reports were hired actors in a scheme to confiscate firearms.

Attorneys of the families had advised the jury to use $550 million (est. R10 billion) as a “baseline” for calculating damages, or about $1 (est. R18) for each social media impression Jones amassed on his Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts combined during the six years following the 2012 mass shooting.

It was revealed in a lawsuit brought by the families of an FBI agent, who was among the first responders at the scene, that five children, three educators, and one other person were killed in the mass shooting.

The parents of another murdered child received nearly $50 million (est. R914 million) in damages from a Texas jury in August this year.

According to testimony from Jones’ employee, since the shooting, he has made between $100 million (est. R2 billion) and $1 billion (est.R 18 billion) from the sale of dietary supplements, books, and survival gear, with sales of $810 000 (est. R14 million) on a single day in 2020.

Jones faces a third trial in Texas at the end of the year in a lawsuit filed by the parents of another child killed in the shooting.

Who is Alex Jones?

Jones was born on 11 February 1974 in Dallas, Texas. Jones’ family relocated to Austin during his second year of high school. He played football while a student at Anderson High School and earned his diploma in 1993. Jones attended Austin Community College for a short time after graduating before leaving, ADL reports.

He started his career in Austin working on a public-access cable television show with a live call-in format. The 48-year-old has become an influential conspiracy theorist over the years.

He hosts The Alex Jones Show from Texas, syndicated by the Genesis Communications Network across the country and online. Conspiracy theories and fake news are promoted on Jones’ website InfoWars and his other websites, NewsWars and PrisonPlanet.

The public reacts to Jones’ verdict

The public has taken to social media to share their thoughts on Jone’s verdict. Here’s what they had to say:

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