A Connecticut intermediate appellate reversed a $150 million punitive damages award against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, but otherwise affirmed a judgment that exceeds $1 billion ($965 million in compensatory damages and $321.7 million in attorney’s fees).
The plaintiffs in the case are relatives of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting. They sued Jones for defamation, based on his false claims that the school shooting was a hoax and that the victims’ family members were paid actors hired as part of a gun-control conspiracy.
The trial court awarded $150 million in punitive damages under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, but the appellate court reversed that award on the ground that the plaintiffs’ injuries came from false language, rather than speech related to advertising or marketing, as required under the Act.
Jones also owes millions in a separate Texas state court proceeding brought by the parents of a child killed at Sandy Hook. He has declared bankruptcy and satirical news source The Onion was the winning bidder for his website, Infowars, in a bankruptcy auction.