Alex Jones judgment reduced after a Texas appeals court on Friday cut a $50 million award to roughly $6 million, applying state limits on damages in a defamation case brought by parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The Texas Third Court of Appeals concluded that statutory caps restrict punitive damages in the case, meaning the Infowars founder is liable for a far smaller sum than the Travis County jury originally ordered, according to the court’s opinion. Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, have been in bankruptcy proceedings that led to the liquidation of assets, according to officials.
The panel upheld more than $4.1 million in compensatory damages for Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, who sued over defamation and emotional distress tied to Jones’ false claims that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax. However, it reduced the more than $45 million in punitive damages to $1.5 million to comply with Texas’ $750,000 cap per plaintiff. The Dec. 14, 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 20 first-graders and six educators.
The families have not collected from Jones as appeals continue. Jones characterized the ruling as “a gigantic victory for the First Amendment,” though the appeals court left the defamation finding in place. He also faces a separate financial judgment of about $1.25 billion in Connecticut.
Alex Jones judgment reduced under Texas damages cap
The decision narrows, but does not eliminate, Jones’ liability in Texas while parallel enforcement efforts proceed in Connecticut, where courts have issued orders in a separate case tied to the same false statements. Court records show the Texas award now consists primarily of compensatory damages, with punitive damages limited by statute.
Jones’ ongoing legal exposure and the appeals process echo other high-profile federal and state court battles, including recent disputes that have reached the Supreme Court over executive branch projects.