Alex Jones ordered to pay close to a billion dollars to parents of Sandy Hook victims
And as expected, conservatives are bleating how "this is the end of free speech" and "Jones was fined for saying mean things." And as usual, they're wrong. First, this has nothing to do with the First Amendment, as it's a civil suit. The government is not involved (although they could be if Jones attempts to illegally hide his assets or declares fraudulent bankruptcy). Second, it's not a "fine" as it's not being imposed by the government. It's compensatory damages intended to make the victims whole after the damage Jones did to them. There is also a penalty phase where additional punitive damages could be imposed.
Finally, Jones didn't just "say mean things." He claimed that the murdered children never existed, and the parents were crisis actors, and the entire thing was staged to give the government an excuse to confiscate guns. Of course, none of this was true and Jones later backtracked, but the damage was done as his fans relentlessly harassed the parents, sending them death threats and forcing them to move. One mother reported going to a grief counseling group for the parents of murdered children, and being asked to leave by one of the other attendees "because your kid never existed."
If your response is "but Jones never did anything himself, so go after the people who did," then I would ask, what if I call everyone you work with, your friends and family, and tell them you're a pedophile? Let's say I take out a full-page ad in the local paper or pay for a commercial saying this during the Super Bowl. Certainly, some people might believe this and make your life a living hell. Wouldn't I have some responsibility for telling lies that caused you to suffer harm?
And if you're one of the cretins who thinks Sandy Hook was a hoax, Jones had ample opportunity to produce evidence of that, which he failed to do. Instead, he spent his show complaining about how persecuted he was and crying poverty while flying around in a private jet.
Jones, whose personal fortune is estimated to be around $250 million, will probably drag this out with appeals for the next decade, but hopefully this sends a message that you can't slander innocent people and expect to get away with it just because you're an influential media figure.
Finally, Jones didn't just "say mean things." He claimed that the murdered children never existed, and the parents were crisis actors, and the entire thing was staged to give the government an excuse to confiscate guns. Of course, none of this was true and Jones later backtracked, but the damage was done as his fans relentlessly harassed the parents, sending them death threats and forcing them to move. One mother reported going to a grief counseling group for the parents of murdered children, and being asked to leave by one of the other attendees "because your kid never existed."
If your response is "but Jones never did anything himself, so go after the people who did," then I would ask, what if I call everyone you work with, your friends and family, and tell them you're a pedophile? Let's say I take out a full-page ad in the local paper or pay for a commercial saying this during the Super Bowl. Certainly, some people might believe this and make your life a living hell. Wouldn't I have some responsibility for telling lies that caused you to suffer harm?
And if you're one of the cretins who thinks Sandy Hook was a hoax, Jones had ample opportunity to produce evidence of that, which he failed to do. Instead, he spent his show complaining about how persecuted he was and crying poverty while flying around in a private jet.
Jones, whose personal fortune is estimated to be around $250 million, will probably drag this out with appeals for the next decade, but hopefully this sends a message that you can't slander innocent people and expect to get away with it just because you're an influential media figure.
