Lies about school massacres
Trump Jones publicist has to pay $45 million
06/08/2022, 07:35 AM
Trump agitator and right-wing advocate Alex Jones had to pay four million in damages for lying about the Sandy Hook massacre. Now something is added again – 11 times the amount.
US far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been fined $45.2 million for making false allegations about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. He is now said to have paid a total of more than $49 million in compensation to the victim’s parents. This was reported by several US media on Friday from the courtroom in Texas. On Thursday, he had already been sentenced to more than $4 million in damages.
Friday’s ruling is what is known as punitive damages, which are also intended to act as a deterrent and are often much higher than actual damages. Jones previously claimed that the December 2012 shooting was done by actors. A 20-year-old man shot and killed 20 students and six teachers in Newtown, Connecticut.
The parents of a six-year-old boy who was murdered have filed a lawsuit against the right-wing broadcaster over his allegations. I have previously described the emotional suffering caused by the 48-year-old’s lies. They demanded $150 million in damages. The conspiracy theory attorney argued that the plaintiffs failed to prove that his client’s words actually caused the harm.
Jones and his followers made a lot of money spreading conspiracy theories. For example, Jones claimed that the US government was involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. He is also known as a supporter of former US President Donald Trump. Jones, for example, singled out Trump’s false claim that his electoral loss to incumbent President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud. Jones was also in Washington when radical Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He was questioned behind closed doors by a parliamentary inquiry into the storming of the Capitol.
