A separate, shorter trial is now expected to discuss punitive damages. Punitive damages are awarded when the court finds the defendant’s conduct to be particularly offensive. Mark Bankston, an attorney for the parents, told CNN that the plaintiffs are pleased with the jury’s decision, noting that they had also received pre-trial money due to sanctions the court had hit Jones with. “Having already secured $1.5 million in fines from Mr. Jones, the plaintiffs are now owed $5.6 million to be paid by Alex Jones,” Bankston said. “Neil and Scarlett are delighted with the result and look forward to putting Mr Jones’ money to good use,” Bankston added. “Mr. Jones on the other hand will not sleep easy tonight. With punitive damages awarded and multiple additional defamation lawsuits pending, it is clear that Mr. Jones’ time on the American stage is finally coming to an end.” Jones’ attorney was not immediately available for comment. The jury’s decision is a partial end to a years-long process that began in 2018 when Lewis and Heslin sued Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, which is the parent of the right-wing media organization Infowars. Jones implausibly said in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, which killed 26 people, that the incident was staged. Facing multiple lawsuits, Jones later acknowledged that the shooting happened. This week he testified in court that he now believed it was “100% true”. But Jones did not comply with court orders during the lawsuit’s discovery process. His failure to do so led to Heslin and Lewis winning default judgments against Jones. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled in October that Jones was legally responsible for causing emotional distress to Heslin and Lewis. Gamble also ruled that Jones was liable for defamation of Heslin. Jones claimed in his deposition that a jury award of just $2 million would ruin him financially. But the accountant now in charge of overseeing Jones’ company Free Speech Systems, parent of conspiracy media outlet Infowars, testified in bankruptcy court Wednesday that Jones siphoned off about $62 million from the company over 14 years, of which about $30 million was paid to the IRS. And the accountant testified that Infowars had received about $9 million in cryptocurrency donations and that “they went directly to Mr. Jones.” The decision to punish Jones in such terms also comes at a seismic moment in American society, where lies and conspiracy theories have flourished in recent years. The jury’s verdict, though far less than the plaintiffs’ lawyers had asked for, sends a message to those who push lies into the public debate, whether for political power or financial gain, that there can be consequences for such behavior . “Speech is free, but lies pay for,” attorneys for the Sandy Hook family argued to jurors during opening statements and closing arguments. During the trial, Heslin and Lewis gave emotional testimony, telling jurors that the lies Jones peddled scarred their son Jesse’s legacy and tormented them for years. Fighting back tears at times, Heslin told the jury that Jones, through the conspiratorial media organization Infowars, had “tarnished the honor and legacy” of his son. Heslin said he couldn’t “even begin to describe the last nine and a half years of hell” he has endured because of Jones and detailed how he fears for the safety of himself and his family. In a remarkable moment in court, Lewis spoke directly to Jones, saying she wanted to address him to his face. “Jesse was real,” Lewis told Jones. “I’m a real mom.” Lewis told jurors she believes the monetary award was appropriate in the case because she does not believe Jones would ever stop his behavior. “There was no sincere apology,” he said. “But if there ever was, I liken it to being in a car accident and you pass somebody and you cause massive bodily harm and you look at that person on the ground and you say, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m sorry I’m sorry, I’m not responsible for any from the damage I just caused. But I’m sorry.” That’s how I see it.” Lewis also thought about what it meant that the trial should ever take place. “It seems so incredible that we have to do this,” Lewis told Jones. “That we have to beg you — not just plead with you, punish you — make you stop lying…It’s surreal what’s going on in here.” The Texas trial is one of three expected to be held in the next two months. A different group of Sandy Hook families sued Jones in Connecticut. Those families also won a default judgment against Jones, and a trial was scheduled to begin in September. However, jury selection was suspended on the same day it began earlier this week, and the trial could be delayed due to bankruptcy by Free Speech Systems. Attorneys representing some Sandy Hook families have accused Jones of withdrawing assets from Free Speech Systems in recent years as part of an effort to protect himself from potential judgments he may be ordered to pay. One of the lawyers, Avi Moshenberg, told CNN on Tuesday that the bankruptcy filed by Free Speech Systems indicated that $62 million in assets had been withdrawn from the company in 2021 and 2022. “If you look at the bankruptcy filing, which led to the bankruptcy, Alex Jones, the sole owner [of Free Speech Systems], took in $62 million in sweepstakes in 2021 and 2022,” Moshenberg told CNN. That’s why the company has few assets.” — CNN’s Sonia Moghe contributed reporting.
