A Texas appeals court has significantly reduced the damages awarded against Alex Jones, founder of the right-wing platform Infowars, from $50 million to $1.5 million in a defamation case stemming from his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
The ruling does not impact a separate $1.4 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, where he was also found liable for damages related to his denial of the tragedy that claimed 26 lives in Newtown.
In a unanimous decision, the Texas Third Court of Appeals determined that Sandy Hook families Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis failed to present adequate evidence demonstrating that harassment fueled by Jones’ conspiracy theories exceeded the state’s $750,000 cap on punitive damages in civil cases.
Additional reporting to follow …
