A Texas judge says she will not lower the nearly $50-million punishment levied against Infowars host Alex Jones.
The award was imposed by a jury in a civil lawsuit accusing Jones of defaming families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. He claimed the shooting was a hoax and the parents were “crisis actors.”
Jones defaulted on the main case by refusing to give the court the information it demanded, so the only issue was how much he’d have to pay. There was concern that the award may not hold up under Texas law.
But the judge’s decision makes the order more likely to survive.
All told, Jones has been ordered to pay 1.44-billion to satisfy defamation and punitive damages against him. He says he doesn’t have that kind of money.