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Jury finds Alex Jones caused $4 million in damages to two Sandy Hook parents - CNN
Aug 05, 2022 2 mins, 4 secs
"But that jury understood the truth and resisted the propaganda."

The decision from the jury is a partial ending to a years-long process that began in 2018 when Lewis and Heslin sued Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, which is Infowars' parent.

Gamble also ruled that Jones was liable for defaming Heslin.

Jones claimed in his testimony that a jury award of just $2 million would destroy him financially.

But the accountant who is now in charge of overseeing Jones' company Free Speech Systems, the parent of his conspiratorial media outlet Infowars, testified in bankruptcy court Wednesday that Jones withdrew about $62 million dollars 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 the lies and conspiracy theories have flourished in recent years.

The jury's decision, while far lower than what the plaintiffs' attorneys had asked for, sends a message to those who propel lies into the public conversation, whether for political power or financial gain, that there can be consequences for such behavior.

"Speech is free, but lies you have to pay for," the Sandy Hook family attorneys argued to the jury during their opening statements and closing arguments.

During the trial, Heslin and Lewis offered emotional testimony, telling the jury that the lies pushed by Jones stained the legacy of their son Jesse and tormented them for years.

Fighting back tears at times, Heslin told the jury that Jones, through his conspiratorial media organization Infowars, "tarnished the honor and legacy" of his son.

But jury selection was suspended the same day it started earlier this week and the trial could be delayed because of a bankruptcy filing from Free Speech Systems.

Attorneys representing some Sandy Hook families have accused Jones of having drained Free Speech Systems of assets in recent years as part of an effort to protect himself from potential judgments he may be ordered to pay.

One of the attorneys, Avi Moshenberg, told CNN on Tuesday that the bankruptcy filing made 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, leading up to the declaration of bankruptcy, Alex Jones, the sole owner [of Free Speech Systems], took $62 million in draws in 2021 and 2022," Moshenberg told CNN.

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