AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas appeals court on Friday upheld a judgment finding Alex Jones and his Infowars company liable to the parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, but sharply reduced the punitive damages they were awarded.
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In an opinion issued by the Texas Third Court of Appeal, the judges said Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis did not provide evidence that the harassment inflamed by Jones’ hoax claim was enough to exceed the state’s $750,000 cap on punitive damages for each plaintiff.
According to the Associated Press, the ruling will not impact the $1.25 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, where he was also found liable for defaming and causing emotional distress to families of the 20 first-graders and six teachers in the Newtown shooting. Jones has yet to make any financial payments as he appeals the amounts and the attempt to liquidate his company.
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By the numbers:
The decision doesn’t touch the $4.1 million in compensatory damages awarded to the parents for defamation and emotional distress, but cut more than $45 million in additional punitive damages. The court said a trial judge improperly allowed Heslin and Lewis to seek higher damages after trial.
The backstory:
Heslin and Lewis’ son, Jesse, was among the children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. The parents accused Jones and InfoWars of spending years spreading false claims that the massacre was staged or involved actors and of helping foster a community that harassed Sandy Hook families.
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