Alex Jones ordered to pay more than $965M in Sandy Hook trial

The judge has called this jury “conscientious” several times, something that was demonstrated after their first full day of deliberations last week.

WATERBURY, Conn. — Alex Jones has been ordered to pay eight families of Sandy Hook victims and an FBI agent $965 million for both slander and emotional damages.

Attorney’s fees will be awarded at a later date.

The families of victims sitting in the gallery broke down as the verdict was read.

After the verdict was read, Jones’s attorney Norm Pattis spoke to the media outside the courthouse.

“I have never seen a trial like this, we very much would like to file an appeal,” Pattis said.

Jones, during his show on Wednesday, said, “They want to scare us away from questioning Uvalde or Parkland. We’re not going away. We’re not going to stop.”

The families of the Sandy Hook victims spoke with their lawyers in front of the courthouse, thanking the jury for their work on the trial.

“I couldn’t be more proud to stand here with all of these people,” Robbie Parker, the father of Sandy Hook victim Emilie said. “Our lawyers helped give me the strength to finally find my voice.”

“Every day in that courtroom, we got up on the stand and we told the truth,” Parker added. “Everybody that got up on that stand told the truth, except for one…While the truth was being said in the courtroom, [Jones] was standing out here lying.”

“This is sending the right message that people are good and that good does prevail. Thank you for restoring my faith in people.” Nicole Hockley, the mother of Sandy Hook victim Dylan, said of the jury.

“It shows that the internet is not the wild wild west and that your actions have consequences,” Bill Sherlach, who lost his wife Mary in the shooting, said. “Going forward…people like Alex Jones will have to rethink what they say, how they say, it how long they say it.”

“The truth matters,” said Erica Lafferty, who lost her mother Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung in the shooting. “And those who profit off of other people’s pain and trauma will pay for what they have done…they absolutely will be held accountable.”

RELATED: Frequently Asked Questions: Alex Jones Trial

The awards broke down as follows: 

William Aldenberg     

  • $45,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages    
  • $45,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $90,000,000.00   Total
  • $10,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $18,800,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $28,800,000.00    Total
  • $25,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $32,600,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $57,600,000.00    Total
  • $21,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $31,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $52,000,000.00   Total
  • $32,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $41,600,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $73,600,000.00   Total
  • $38,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $43,600,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $81,600,000.00   Total
  • $18,000,000.00   Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $58,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $76,000,000.00    Total
  • $60,000,000.00 Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $60,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $120,000,000.00   Total
  • $9,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $27,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $36,000,000.00   Total
  • $30,000,000.00 Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $36,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $66,000,000.00   Total
  • $18,600,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $39,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $57,600,000.00    Total
  • $18,000,000.00 Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $30,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $48,000,000.00   Total
  • $30,000,000.00 Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $38,800,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $68,800,000.00   Total
  • $25,000,000.00 Compensatory / Defamation damages 
  • $30,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages 
  • $55,000,000.00   Total
  • $24,000,000.00  Compensatory / Defamation damages
  • $30,000,000.00  Compensatory / Emotional Distress damages
  • $54,000,000.00   Total

Total damages awarded – $965,000,000.00

The jurors decided that Jones should pay punitive damages, which are limited to attorney’s fees and costs. The judge will determine those amounts at a later date. 

RELATED: Still no verdict as jury in Alex Jones trial continues deliberations

Before noon  Tuesday, the jury had another question for the court, questioning a line on page 17 of their jury charge document.

It reads, “You must attempt to put each plaintiff in the same position as far as money could do it, that they would have been in had the defendant not engaged in the wrongful conduct.”

The families’ lawyers told the judge that language is historic language and may not be helpful to the jury in this case, saying the language is more of a formality for other cases rather than directed to this case.

The families’ lawyers said that line does not apply to this case, telling the jury they should focus on defamation and emotional distress damages as stated in the charge.

Alex Jones’s attorney Norm Pattis objected to the language the families’ lawyers used in their explanation note back to the jury.

The Judge and counsel decided to respond to the jury by ultimately saying not to focus on specific sentences in the jury charge. The court said they would continue to welcome questions from the jury.

The jury also asked to review Bill Sherlach’s testimony. The judge said they would have it ready to play for them first thing Wednesday morning. The video testimony is one hour and eight minutes long.

The court was later adjourned with no verdict.

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The judge has called this jury “conscientious” several times, something that was demonstrated after their first full day of deliberations last week in Waterbury.

Beginning last Thursday, deliberations happened for less than an hour as the day was mostly packed with closing statements from the families’ lawyers and Jones’s lawyer, Norm Pattis.

On Friday, the jury returned with a request for a dry-erase easel, markers, an eraser and a copy of the jury charge, instructions needed to decide. The request took several hours due to the instructions being nearly 30 pages long. 

They also asked to see a picture of David Wheeler and William Aldenberg. Wheeler is the father of Ben Wheeler and said he was the target of a conspiracy that he and Aldenberg were the same person. Aldenberg is an FBI agent who is also a plaintiff in the case. 

In the end, the jury decided they did not need the request fulfilled after all.

RELATED: Sides rest their case in Alex Jones defamation trial into Sandy Hook lies

Jones was already found liable for calling the Sandy Hook shooting a hoax on his Infowars show.

A separate defamation trial over the summer ordered Jones to pay nearly $50 million to the Lewis family, who lost their son Jesse in the shooting.

A third similar suit, out of Texas, is awaiting trial.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took away the lives of 20 students and six educators.

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