On October 12, 2022, a Connecticut jury delivered the news that Alex Jones, along with his shell companies, are ordered to pay nearly a billion dollars in compensatory damages- $965 million to be exact, to the families of the Sandy Hook victims that Alex Jones defamed after the 2012 school shooting. It is unknown if or how Alex Jones will be able to pay such an astronomical sum, especially with the string of bankruptcy claims that has been following Jones in the news as of late.

This order, heard in the Superior Court of Connecticut, comes after a near month long case brought by the families of the Sandy Hook massacre against Alex Jones. The defamation lawsuit has led to $965 million of compensatory damages for defamation and emotional distress being paid to eight families. In November, the Jury will answer the next issue of punitive damages.

Alex Jones is a well-known conspiracy theorist, made popular by his show available on YouTube – Infowars (legal name: Free Speech Systems LLC) – where he spends his time researching and preaching to his audience comprised of mostly far-right conspiracy theorists. For years after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, Jones spread countless lies and misinformation about the details and the motives behind the massacre. He became convinced - and convinced his audience, that the massacre was staged, and everyone involved was a hired actor. He claimed that the victims were either never killed, or they never existed, completely discrediting the devastation that so many families were experiencing.  He would routinely call out and lie about the victims of the shooting, which led to the eventual stalking and harassment of the victims’ families. Not only did Jones devote his screen time to defaming the families and victims, but he made incredible amounts of money off the defamation by spreading his lies through his show and propaganda. Presently, during the entirety of his trial, Jones has made a mockery of himself and his defense, as well as insulted the presiding judge on numerous occasions.

Lafferty et al. v. Jones et al., case number UWY-CV18-6046436S, and Sherlach v. Jones et al., case numbers UWY-CV18-6046437S and UWY-CV18-6046438S, in Connecticut Superior Court, Waterbury Judicial District.