Alex Jones’s lawyer compares Infowars host to Handmaid’s Story author
The jury has completed its first full day of deliberation in Alex Jones’ second defamation damages trial over his lies concerning the Sandy Hook bloodbath.
Jurors convened to weigh the case on Friday after closing arguments the day earlier than, the place attorneys for the households of the Sandy Hook victims urged them to think about the big earnings Jones had comprised of spreading conspiracy theories concerning the mass capturing when figuring out how a lot he ought to pay in damages.
“Each single one in every of these households had been drowning in grief, and Alex Jones put his foot proper on high of them,” legal professional Christopher Mattei stated.
Customer numbers to Jones’ Infowars web site spiked by greater than 40 per cent after the December 2012 tragedy, Mr Mattei stated.
He prompt a damages award of not less than $550m, as Jones and Infowars had acquired an estimated 550 million views from their Sandy Hook hoax content material on social media accounts from 2012 to 2018.
In the meantime, Jones’ legal professional Norm Pattis requested jurors to return a extra measured verdict to assist restore his consumer’s religion in “the system”.
Courtroom adjourned till Tuesday
Jurors have concluded their first full day of deliberation.
They are going to return to the courtroom on Tuesday at 9.30am.
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 21:50
Why didn’t Jones testify for his defence?
In an surprising transfer this week, the defence determined to not name any witnesses as a result of the only real one deliberate – Jones himself – selected to not take the stand.
Jones did testify earlier within the trial as a witness for the plaintiffs – nevertheless it didn’t go very nicely.
Earlier than his lawyer confirmed he wouldn’t testify, Jones addressed reporters outdoors the Connecticut courthouse and stated he was contemplating pleading the fifth as a result of he feared the decide would jail him for “telling the reality”.
The Unbiased’s Bevan Hurley explains:
Alex Jones’ legal professional says he is not going to testify once more in Sandy Hook trial
The Infowars conspiracy theorist determined in opposition to taking the stand in his second defamation trial, this time in Connecticut, for spreading hoax lies concerning the 2012 Sandy Hook capturing
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 21:30
Jury query learn in courtroom
Each events have returned to the courtroom for the decide to learn a brand new jury query.
Jurors requested whether or not there’s a video clip in proof exhibiting a profile picture of David Wheeler (father of a Sandy Hook sufferer) and William Aldenberg (the previous FBI agent among the many plaintiffs).
The plaintiffs’ attorneys stated they aren’t conscious of such a clip – which might presumably be from an Infowars broadcast.
After a forwards and backwards, the decide known as the jury in to ask for clarification on the query.
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 21:05
Plaintiffs ask jurors to think about Infowars earnings in verdict
In closing arguments on Thursday, plaintiffs’ legal professional Christopher Mattei urged jurors to think about the monetary windfall Infowars noticed on account of Jones’ lies in figuring out what damages he owes.
He requested the jury to assign a greenback quantity to every of the lies and a number of that by the greater than 500 million occasions every lie was seen on the present.
For example the impression of Jones’ hoax claims on Infowars’ earnings, Mr Matteu pulled up a graphic of consumer numbers and web page views between December 2012 when Sandy Hook occurred and January 2013.
“Have a look at the payoff, the spike,” he stated.
“The engagement of the viewers, that was an excellent factor for them.”
He then informed the jury: “That is their one probability, and your one probability — your one probability — to render a verdict on simply how a lot devastation Alex Jones has brought on.”
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 20:30
ICYMI: Sandy Hook father says he felt like he ‘failed’ his slain daughter
A number of the most gut-wrenching trial testimony got here from Robbie Parker, who informed the jury he believed he was “failing” his six-year-old daughter Emilie’s reminiscence as Jones lies continued to unfold lies about her.
Learn extra about Mr Parker’s heartbreaking testimony from Rachel Sharp:
Sandy Hook father says Alex Jones lies made him really feel like he ‘failed’ his daughter
Robbie Parker testified that seeing the far-right extremist proceed to unfold lies concerning the households of Parkland was a ‘large catalyst’ to him to ‘struggle’
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 19:30
WATCH: Sandy Hook and 9/11 had been ‘finest two days’ of Alex Jones’s life, victims’ lawyer says
Sandy Hook and 9/11 had been “the very best two days” of Jones’s life, a lawyer for the victims of the college bloodbath claimed in Thursday’s closing arguments.
Watch the dramatic remarks:
Sandy Hook and 9/11 had been ‘finest two days’ of Alex Jones’s life, victims’ lawyer claims
Sandy Hook and 9/11 had been “the very best two days” of Alex Jones’s life, a lawyer for the victims of the college bloodbath has claimed. In closing arguments on day 14 of Jones’s defamation trial, legal professional Josh Koskoff informed the jury that the Infowars host chased earnings whereas encouraging his followers to harass grieving households. He added that Jones “thrives on preserving individuals divided” and referenced two days when People had been united: the September 11 terror assaults and the Sandy Hook mass capturing. “For Alex Jones, these had been the very best two days of this life,” Koskoff stated. Signal as much as our newsletters.
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 18:30
Jones’ lawyer compares him to well-known authors warning of dystopian futures
In his closing argument on Thursday, Jones’ lawyer Norm Pattis characterised his consumer’s wild Infowars rhetoric as that of a “mad prophet” warning of a dystopian future.
He in contrast Jones to literary icons Margaret Atwood and George Orwell for instance that argument.
New York Times journalist Elizabeth Williamson famous that Mr Pattis made a equally far-fetched comparability when he represented Fotis Dulos in opposition to costs for murdering his spouse Jennifer in 2019.
In that case, Mr Pattis in contrast Jennifer to the protagonist within the novel and movie “Gone Woman”, suggesting she might have staged her disappearance, the Stamford Advocate reported.
His involvement within the case got here to an finish when Fotis Dulos died by suicide earlier than trial.
The Unbiased’s Bevan Hurley explains the newer comparability within the Jones case:
Alex Jones’ lawyer compares him to The Handmaid’s Story writer Margaret Atwood
“There have at all times been inventive geniuses on this planet,” Jones’ legal professional Norm Pattis says
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 17:30
EXPLAINED: How deliberation works
As deliberations kicked off, the Related Press put collectively a listing of key questions and solutions concerning the course of:
COULD THE JURY DECIDE THAT WHAT JONES DID IS PROTECTED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT?
No. A decide has already dominated that Jones is chargeable for defamation, infliction of emotional misery, invasion of privateness and violating Connecticut’s unfair commerce practices regulation. The jury’s job is to determine how a lot he owes for harming the individuals who sued him over his lies.
HOW MUCH COULD JONES PAY?
Jones, who lives in Austin, Texas, may very well be ordered to pay as little as $1 to every plaintiff or doubtlessly a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of {dollars} to them. The choice shall be primarily based on whether or not the jury determines the hurt to the households was minimal or in depth.
Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, stated the jury ought to award the plaintiffs not less than $550 million. Jones’ lawyer, Norm Pattis, says any damages awarded needs to be minimal.
HOW DOES THE JURY COME UP WITH THE DOLLAR FIGURES?
In her directions to the jury, Decide Barbara Bellis stated there aren’t any mathematical formulation for figuring out greenback quantities. Jurors, she stated, ought to use their life experiences and customary sense to award damages which are “honest, simply and cheap.”
The jury, nevertheless, heard proof and testimony that Jones and his firm, Free Speech Techniques, made thousands and thousands of {dollars} from promoting dietary dietary supplements, survival gear and different objects. An organization consultant testified it has made not less than $100 million up to now decade.
WHAT KIND OF DAMAGES ARE THE JURY CONSIDERING?
Jurors may award each compensatory and punitive damages.
Compensatory damages are sometimes meant to reimburse individuals for precise prices resembling medical payments and revenue loss, however in addition they embody compensation for emotional misery that may attain into the thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
Punitive damages are supposed to punish an individual for his or her conduct. If the jury decides Jones ought to pay punitive damages, the decide would decide the quantity.
DOES CONNECTICUT CAP DAMAGES?
No, and sure. The state doesn’t restrict compensatory damages, whereas punitive damages are restricted in lots of circumstances to legal professional’s charges and prices. So if the jury says Jones ought to pay punitive damages, he would doubtlessly should shell out a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} for the Sandy Hook households’ attorneys’ prices.
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 16:30
Quiet within the courtroom
The Waterbury, Connecticut, courtroom has now gone quiet after 4 weeks of intense testimony.
Friday’s proceedings started with Decide Barbara Bellis providing a short recap of deliberation directions earlier than jurors had been despatched out to start.
There isn’t a telling how lengthy the jury will take to return to a consensus on damages owed.
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 15:19
What occurred within the first Texas trial?
Because the jury units out to succeed in a verdict in Jones’ second Sandy Hook defamation trial in Connecticut, they won’t think about any data from the primary trial in Texas.
In that trial, which concluded in August, Jones was ordered to pay $45.2m in punitive damages and $4.11m in compensatory damages to Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose six-year-old son Jesse was among the many 20 college students and 6 adults killed within the mass capturing.
Mr Heslin and Ms Lewis had requested for $150m in compensatory damages.
Jones will finally should pay far much less within the Texas case because of damages caps set underneath state regulation.
However these caps usually are not at play within the Connecticut case – the place damages are anticipated to be far increased as a result of it includes 15 plaintiffs.
Megan Sheets7 October 2022 14:25