Jury awards plaintiffs nearly $1 billion in Alex Jones's defamation trial

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A jury in Waterbury, Conn., said Alex Jones, founder of Infowars, should pay eight families of Sandy Hook shooting victims and a first responder $965 million for calling the 2012 school massacre a hoax.

Video Transcript

- Verdict, we the jury have reached our verdict as to damages in this case. We award damages to each plaintiff against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems LLC as follows. Roman numeral one, compensatory damages. Instructions. Fill in both numbers for each plaintiff then go to section two. Please enter your damage, damages, assessments for each plaintiff on the lines below.

To plaintiff Rodney Parker. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $60 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $60 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Robert Parker and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A add line B, total $120 million. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff David Wheeler. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $25 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $30 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff David Wheeler and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems add line A add line B. $55 million. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Francine Wheeler. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $24 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $30 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Francine Wheeler and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems add line A add line B, total $54 million. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Jacqueline Barden. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $10 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $18,800,000. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Jacqueline Barden and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems add line A, add line B, $28,800,000. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Mark Barden. A. Defamation, slash slander damages past and future, $25 million. B, emotional distress damages past and future, $32,600,000. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Mark Barden and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $57,600,000. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Nicole Hockley. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future. $32 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $41,600,000. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiffs Nicole Hockley and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems add line A, add line B, $73,600,000. Initialed by plaintiffs-- excuse me. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Ian Hockley. A, defamation slash slander damages past and future. $38 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $43,600,000. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Ian Hockley and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $81,600,000 initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Jennifer Hensel. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $21 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $31 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Jennifer Hensel and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $52 million initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Donna Soto. A. Defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $18 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $30 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Donna Soto and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $48 million. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Carlee Soto-Parisi. A, definition-- excuse me. Defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $30 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $36 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiffs Carlee Soto-Parisi and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $66 million initialed by jury number one.

To plaintiff Carlos Mathew Soto. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $18,600,000. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $39 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiffs Carlos Mathew Soto and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, and line B, $57,600,000 initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Jillian Soto-Marino. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future. $30 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $38,800,000. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Jillian Soto-Marino and against Alex Jones, and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B. $68,800,000 initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff William Aldenberg. Defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $45 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $45 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages, plaintiff William Aldenberg against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $90 million. Initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff Erica Lafferty. A, defamation slash slander damages past and future, $18 million. B, emotional distress damages, past and future, $58 million. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff Erica Lafferty and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $76 million initialed by juror number one.

To plaintiff William Sherlach. A, defamation slash slander damages, past and future, $9 million. B, emotional distress damages past and future, $27 million. Fair-- excuse me. Total fair, just, and reasonable damages to plaintiff William Sherlach and against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, add line A, add line B, $36 million. Initialed by juror number one.

Number two. Award of attorney's fees and cost. Instructions. Check yes or no. If you check yes, the judge will determine the amount due to the plaintiffs for reasonable attorney's fees and costs and will then award the plaintiff-- plaintiffs that amount at a later date. If you check no, the judge will award $1.00 to the plaintiffs for their attorney's fees and costs.

We the jury find that the standard charged for the assessment of attorney's fees and costs have been met. Yes is checked. Reasonable attorney's fees and costs to be awarded by the judge at a later date. Initialed by juror number one. The last page is the foreperson juror number one signature in the date of 10/12/2022, also initialed by juror number one.

- The verdict may be accepted and recorded.