The jury awarded the damages to families of students and employees killed in the 2012 shooting, which Alex Jones told his audience was a hoax

Nicole Hockley, the mother of 6-year-old Dylan Hockley, who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, said the decision at the end of this trial reinforced her belief that “good does prevail.”

Standing outside the courthouse following the jury’s decision to award families nearly $1 billion in damages, Hockley said she has “always believed in the goodness of people.”

After the shooting, she said she tried to engage with followers of Alex Jones — who was telling his audience that Hockley, among other families, were actors and the tragedy was not real. She said she was “looking for the good,” but didn’t find it.

Hockley said she gave up trying to engage, until she decided to fight.

She said she felt “gratitude” toward the jury “for hearing us” and listening.

“This is sending the right message that people are good and that good does prevail,” she added. “Thank you for restoring my faith in people like that”

The verdict in the Connecticut defamation case against right-wing talk show host Alex Jones sends a message that you can’t lie and intentionally inflict emotional distress on people, former prosecutor Mark Eiglarsh said Wednesday.

The jury awarded Sandy Hook family members nearly $1 billion in damages.

“It tells us that while there are limitations to our free speech, you cannot lie. You cannot go way over the line and say lies about someone and inflict emotional distress upon people. They are punishing him,” Eiglarsh told CNN’s John Berman. “This wasn’t just: ‘OK, a couple of million here.’ They are sending a message that while we all enjoy, under the First Amendment, wide latitude to speak freely, you can’t lie. You can’t intentionally inflict emotional distress on people. Through that verdict, they are speaking very loudly.”

CNN legal analyst Areva Martin echoed the sentiments, stating that while “there is no amount of money that can make these families whole” the verdict is a means of punishing Jones.

“The kind of pain and suffering that they have experienced because of the vicious lies and the vile statements that Alex Jones has made can’t make these families whole. But what we have in our civil system, you know, are money damages, and I hope that the families, the lawyers – obviously very skilled attorneys – will be able to pierce any veil that Alex Jones or his company has tried to put up to prevent these families from collecting some of this money,” Martin said.

And while it was doubtful that Jones had 900 million dollars squirreled away, it also was clear that he wasn’t broke, she said.

Martin added: “I hope that these families – if they don’t collect a dime — that they put him out of business and they prevent him from ever doing this to any other family or group of families who have experienced the kind of pain that these families have experienced.”

Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the families of Sandy Hook victims, praised the “historic verdict” outside of court Wednesday afternoon.

He said these families took a stand to affirm that the lives of their children were real and were not “cheap props” to be used by Alex Jones to make money. While Jones initially lied about the 2012 shooting, he later acknowledged that the massacre had occurred as he faced multiple lawsuits. 

“For over a month in this courthouse, this jury bore witness to Alex Jones’ 10-year attack on the families standing behind me. An attack that made him very rich, an attack that exploited the fears and resentments of his audience, an attack that targeted these families with the lie that they were frauds,” Mattei said.

He said courage of the families has been an inspiration, adding that the “jury’s verdict is a testament to that courage.” He thanked them for their commitment and compassion.

CNN’s Rob Frehse contributed to this report

With its punishing award, the jury’s decision could shrink or even doom Alex Jones’ Infowars media empire, a key member of the right-wing media universe.

Earlier today, a Connecticut jury awarded nearly $1 billion in damages to Sandy Hook families in the defamation case brought against Jones over his lies about the 2012 elementary school massacre.

Infowars has been at the center of major conspiracy theories dating back to former President George W. Bush’s administration and was embraced by President Donald Trump. 

Alex Jones, who was streaming live when the jury’s decision was read in court, mocked the decision on his Infowars show and used it to fundraise.

Jones has said he will appeal the decision and during his Wednesday broadcast said that there “ain’t no money” to pay the massive figure the jury awarded the plaintiffs.

It’s unclear when or how much of the money the plaintiffs will ultimately see.

In criticizing the verdict, Jones’s attorney Norm Pattis added outside court that the families have been “used for political purposes.”

“My heart goes out to the families, we live in divided times. They’ve been weaponized and used for political purposes in this country, in my view, and today is a very, very, very dark day for freedom of speech.”

Joey Jackson, a CNN legal analyst, said that the jury’s decision to award families of Sandy Hook victims with nearly a billion dollars is an example of accountability.

“Accountability came with this verdict,” Jackson said shortly after the decision was read on Wednesday.

Jackson said the emotional toll on the families from Jones’ lies resonated with the jury. That was reflected in the large size of the compensatory damages.

“Not only to deter him, but other people in the future who would spread such lies,” Jackson said.

The jury awarded $965 million in compensatory damages to Sandy Hook families and an FBI agent who sued conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Here is the breakdown of what the jury said each plaintiff should receive: 

• Robert Parker, father of 6-year-old Emilie Parker: $120,000,000 
• William Sherlach, husband of 56-year-old school employee Mary Sherlach: $36,000,000 
• David Wheeler, father of 6-year-old Ben Wheeler: $55,000,000 
• Francine Wheeler, mother of 6-year-old Ben Wheeler: $54,000,000 
• Jacqueline Barden, mother of 7-year-old Daniel Barden: $28,800,000 
• Mark Barden, father of 7-year-old Daniel Barden: $57,600,000 
• Nicole Hockley, mother of 6-year-old Dylan Hockley: $73,600,000 
• Ian Hockley, father of 6-year-old Dylan Hockley: $81,600,000 
• Jennifer Hensel, for the estate of Jeremy Richman and father who died by suicide of 6-year-old Avielle Richman: $52,000,000 
• Donna Soto, mother of teacher Victoria Soto: $48,000,000 
• Carlee Soto-Parisi, sister of teacher Victoria Soto: $66,000,000  
• Carlos Matthew Soto, brother of teacher Victoria Soto: $57,600,000  
• Jillian Soto-Marino, sister of teacher Victoria Soto: $68,800,000  
• William Aldenberg, FBI agent and first responder: $90,000,000 
• Erica Lafferty/trustee Richard M. Coan, daughter of school principal Dawn Hochsprung: $76,000,000 

Norm Pattis, the defense attorney for Alex Jones, said he intends to appeal a Connecticut jury’s decision to award more than $900 million to families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.

He said he has “never seen a case like this,” and called the decision a “dark day for freedom of speech.”

“We disagree with the basis of the default, we disagree with the court’s evidentiary rulings. In more than 200 trials in the course of my career I have never seen a trial like this,” Pattis said.

Some context: Jones baselessly told his audience in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that the incident was staged. He has since acknowledged the shooting occurred, but only after the lawsuits were filed. He said in a 2019 sworn deposition that a “form of psychosis” caused him to make his false comments.

Alex Jones speaks to the media on October 4.

A Connecticut jury awarded nearly $1 billion in damages Wednesday to Sandy Hook families in their defamation suit against far-right talk show host Alex Jones.

It begs the question: How much is Jones worth?

In August, he claimed in testimony – in a suit brought against him in Texas – that a jury award of just $2 million would destroy him financially.

However, in that same case, economist Bernard Pettingill, Jr. estimated Jones has a net worth of between $135 million and $270 million.

Pettingill, Jr., who examined several years of records for Jones and Infowars’ parent Free Speech Systems, said the talk show host used a series of shell companies to hide his money.

Jones used two large loans to make it appear he was broke when in fact he was not, Pettingill, Jr. testified in August.

“Alex Jones knows where the money is, he knows where that money went and he knows that he is going to eventually benefit by that money,” Pettingill, Jr. said.

After one of the jurors asked about the difference between Jones’ money and his company’s money, Pettingill, Jr. said “you cannot separate Alex Jones from the companies. He is the companies.”

Jones “monetized his shtick,” he added, even suggesting that Jones could teach a college course about his techniques.

The jury awarded nearly $1 billion to the Sandy Hook families and a first responder who sued Alex Jones. 

This is a significant victory for the plaintiffs. 

Several of the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims got emotional as the amount of compensatory damages the jury decided to award each of them was read in court on Wednesday.

David Wheeler, the parent of 6-year-old Ben Wheeler, put his hand to his mouth and was visible shaking as the amounts were read out.

Robert Parker, the father of 6-year-old Emilie Parker, was crying with his head in his hands.

William Sherlach, husband of 56-year-old school employee Mary Sherlach who was killed in the massacre, was seen tapping Nicole Hockley, the mother of 6-year-old Dylan Hockley, on the knee as she shook her head in disbelief.

There are 15 plaintiffs in this trial, which was a consolidation of three other cases.

Jurors also awarded punitive damages for defamation to Sandy Hook families and a first responder. 

In Connecticut, punitive damages are limited to attorneys’ fees and costs. The judge will determine the exact amount conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company will have to pay. That will happen at a hearing after the trial concludes.

In the coming weeks, the judge will also decide whether to award punitive damages for plaintiffs’ claim that Jones violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA), and if so, how much to award.

While Connecticut law caps punitive damages for defamation claims, it does not limit punitive damages for CUTPA claims. 

A jury has awarded compensatory damages to Sandy Hook families.

The Connecticut jury, made up of six people, was asked to decide how much conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company Free Speech Systems should pay for defamation, invasion of privacy and emotional distress damages to the families who lost a child in the 2012 shooting.  

Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the plaintiffs, urged jurors to award at least a half a billion dollars for having permanently damaged the lives of his clients.

The figure, he said, would represent the more than 550 million online impressions Jones’ Sandy Hook lie allegedly received online. 

Judge Barbara Bellis is sending the jury back to complete the verdict form. 

The foreperson is required to initial and sign each page and that has not been done, according to Bellis. 

The judge also referenced there are no decimal points as requested, but because that is consistent throughout the document, she did not request any changes. 

There are two types of damages that are under consideration in this defamation case against Alex Jones — compensatory and punitive. CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson explains what they mean and their key difference.

The big difference between the two is that in the state of Connecticut, punitive damages have a cap and compensatory damages don’t.

Compensatory damage:

“It means damages that are designed to make you whole, to compensate you for what you’ve endured,” he said.

Punitive damages:

“These are to punish you for what you did wrong,” Jackson said. “As it relates to the unfair trade practices, punitive damages are capped in Connecticut at attorneys’ fees and litigation costs. The unfair trade practices are uncapped. So the award there could be not only significant, but ruinous.”

Family members of those who died in the Sandy Hook shooting and are suing Alex Jones are in the courtroom awaiting the reading of the verdict.

Everyone seems calm. Those in the Connecticut court room include Nicole Hockley, Erica Lafferty, Robbie Parker, Mark Barden, Jennifer Hensel, Bill Sherlach, Francine and David Wheeler.

Notably, Jones is not present in the courtroom.

Plaintiffs and their attorneys arrive at the Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, on Wednesday morning. At front right is Bill Sherlach, whose wife, Mary, was killed.

The jury in the Alex Jones trial has reached a decision, and we’re waiting for it to be read in court.

The jury was determining how much Jones must pay to families of Sandy Hook shooting victims for his lies about the massacre.

There are 15 plaintiffs in this trial, which was a consolidation of three other cases. While we wait for the decision, here’s a look at them:

• William Aldenberg, FBI agent
• Jacqueline and Mark Barden, the parents of 7-year-old Daniel Barden 
• Jennifer Hensel for the estate of Jeremy Richman – father who died by suicide of six-year-old Avielle Richman 
• Nicole and  Ian Hockley, the parents of 6-year-old Dylan Hockley
• Richard M. Coan, the trustee of the bankruptcy estate of Erica L. Garbatini, formerly known as Erica Lafferty, the daughter of the school principal Dawn Hochsprung
• Robert Parker, father of 6-year-old Emilie Parker 
• William Sherlach, husband of 56-year-old school employee Mary Sherlach
• Donna Soto, Carlee Soto-Parisi, Matthew Soto and Jillian Soto, the family of 27-year-old teacher Victoria Soto 
• David Wheeler and Francine Wheeler, parents of 6-year-old Ben Wheeler 

Alex Jones speaks from the witness stand at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, on September 22.

While on the witness stand, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones tangled in an explosive courtroom exchange with an attorney for families of Sandy Hook victims who have sued him in Connecticut, prompting an admonishment from the judge and warning that they could be held in contempt if they violate court rules moving forward.

The warning from a frustrated Judge Barbara Bellis came during the trial that will determine how much Jones must pay the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims for his lies about the massacre.

Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the families, questioned the far-right media personality about his false claim that the 2012 shooting in which 26 people were killed was a “hoax,” prompting Jones to grow angry and attack him.

Jones accused Mattei of being disingenuous and said he was guilty of “ambulance chasing” before descending into a rant in court about “liberals.”

Bellis, who had previously warned Jones that some of his outbursts were a violation of court rules, reminded the Infowars founder that he was in a “court of law” and is required to follow her instructions.

“This is clearly not your show and you have to respect the process,” Bellis told Jones. “Whether you like it or not you have to respect the rules.”

Some more context: The stunning episode capped a day of testimony from Jones who had thus far not made an appearance in the Connecticut defamation trial. The trial is taking place a month after a Texas jury determined that Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, the parent of Infowars, should award two parents nearly $50 million.

Jones baselessly told his audience in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that the incident was staged. He has since acknowledged the shooting occurred, but only after the lawsuits were filed. He said in a 2019 sworn deposition that a “form of psychosis” caused him to make his false comments.

Read more here.

Robbie Parker describes being confronted on the street by a follower of Infowars conspiracy theories during his testimony in Alex Jones’ defamation trial in Waterbury, Connecticut, on September 29.

In emotional testimony, Robbie Parker, the parent of a Sandy Hook shooting victim, recounted the violent threats and harassment he and his family have suffered in the years since conspiracy theorist Alex Jones called him a crisis actor.

The day after their six-year-old daughter, Emilie, was murdered in the 2012 shooting, Parker gave a statement to the press. Hours later, Jones was on his InfoWars show describing him as a crisis actor to his audience of millions. (Jones acknowledged that he spoke about Parker by name when he testified earlier during the trial, which is to determine how much he must pay to families of Sandy Hook shooting victims for his lies about the massacre.)

Later that night, unable to sleep, Parker said he saw the start of a deluge of hateful messages about the press conference on the Facebook memorial page for Emilie. Parker said he removed Emilie’s Facebook memorial page weeks after the shooting because the harassment was too much to control.

“I felt like I couldn’t protect Emilie’s name, or her memory anymore so I had to get rid of it,” Parker said through tears.

As days passed and the harassment increased, Parker’s family grew paranoid. They questioned what of Emilie’s life to share with guests during the wake and funeral services. Ultimately, they chose to have a closed casket wake out of concern someone would try to take photos of Emilie’s body or her things, Parker testified.

“I was paranoid and he was paranoid. Like we just shut down. We were just zombies. I don’t even hardly remember what was said on the day of the funeral,” Alissa Parker said during testimony before her husband. “They stole that from me.”

Read more about this here.

Alex Jones is seen outside the Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, on October 4.

The jury in the Alex Jones trial has reached a decision.

The trial in Connecticut is to determine how much Jones must pay to families of Sandy Hook shooting victims for his lies about the massacre

Plaintiffs in the trial included family members of eight school students and employees, in addition to one FBI agent who responded to the scene.

Three cases were all condensed into the single trial. While the families did not seek a specific dollar figure in the trial, an attorney for the families asked jurors last month to “send a message” to the public with its decision.

The trial in Connecticut took place a month after a separate jury in Texas determined that Jones and his company should award two Sandy Hook parents who sued in that state nearly $50 million.

Jones baselessly said in the aftermath of the 2012 mass shooting, in which 26 people were killed, that the incident was staged. Facing multiple lawsuits, Jones later acknowledged the shooting occurred. He testified in court this week that he now believed it to be “100% real.”