Alex Jones hit with $45.2 million defamation verdict — but could pay much less
by Adi Robertson from The Verge - All Posts on (#6277V)
Alex Jones speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump during a protest on December 12th, 2020 | Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images A Texas jury has ordered Alex Jones to pay around $45.2 million for spreading a false conspiracy theory about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The punitive damages come on top of a $4.1 million verdict from yesterday, potentially marking a major blow to Jones's Infowars media empire. But the number could be vastly reduced by limits built into the Texas legal code, which caps damages on defamation punishments.
The jury handed back its verdict on Friday after hearing testimony about Jones's finances - something he's allegedly taken significant steps to obscure. It included an assessment that Jones' company Free Speech Systems was worth at least $130 million; previous testimony indicated its annual revenue in recent years has been...