School shooting conspiracy theorist to pay almost $1 billion libel damages

The truth has finally come to light in a long running USA defamation case against Alex Jones.

In 2012, there was a horrific shooting at a school in Connecticut, where twenty children and six adults died.  A gunman charged through the primary school a few days before the Christmas holiday firing a rifle before ultimately killing himself. This became one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

However, Alex Jones - radio host, conspiracy theorist and co-founder of InfoWars - has been claiming publicly for years that the attack was a staged plot as part of gun control efforts. He stated that the parents grieving for their children were actors, and the school massacre was a hoax. He further commented that some of the children had never even existed.

Eight victims’ families and an FBI agent (who was one of the first responders in the attack) filed a defamation lawsuit against the radio host, in which he was ordered to pay $965 million in damages for falsely alleging that the school shooting was staged, despite his lawyers urging the jury to award minimal damages.

The victims’ families and the FBI responder told the court that the radio host’s comments had led to them receiving death threats and being harassed. They testified that they were being tormented by Jones' followers, who believed his lies. The jury awarded the damages for emotional distress as well as defamation.

This follows on from a separate defamation trial against Alex Jones in Texas over the Sandy Hook shooting where he was also ordered to pay millions in damages. Furthermore, he faces a third defamation trial over the shooting later this year.

One of the plaintiffs commented in the recently decided case, said that he was proud of what they had accomplished in being able to tell the truth.

Nobody should have to experience harassment or harm to their reputation due to defamation, and victims are entitled to seek justice from the courts.

If your reputation has been harmed by untrue statements, we can help. We have a team of lawyers with a niche specialism in this area, who have helped settle many libel claims, and to bring others to court. We can't promise billion-dollar damages, but we can help restore your reputation. 

Contact us today to find out how our libel team can help you.