People who think the mass shooting was a hoax have harassed and tormented the parents and siblings of those killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy for ten years.
However, how can their pain be valued?
This is one of the tasks a Connecticut jury has been given in determining how much Infowars host Alex Jones and his organisation should be made to pay for promoting a hoax that the massacre never took place.
Before adjourning for the evening on Thursday (local time), the six jurors pondered for less than an hour. Resuming their job was scheduled for Friday.
Despite now admitting his conspiracy ideas regarding the shooting were incorrect, Jones maintains he is not to responsible for those who harassed the families. Additionally, according to his attorneys, the 15 plaintiffs’ claims of receiving threats and abuse are overblown.
Here are some queries and responses on the discussions.
Is Jones covered by the first amendment in the US?
No. According to a judge’s previous decision, Jones is responsible for defamation, causing emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and breaking Connecticut’s legislation against unfair commercial practises. The jury’s task is to determine how much he pays for wronging the people who filed a lawsuit against him due to his lies.
What could Jones afford?
Jones, who resides in Austin, Texas, may be required to pay the plaintiffs as little as $1 or as much as hundreds of millions of dollars.
Whether the jury decides the harm to the families was slight or extensive will determine the outcome.
According to plaintiffs’ attorney Christopher Mattei, the jury should give the plaintiffs at least NZ$972 million (about US$550 million). According to his attorney, Norm Pattis, any damages granted should be insignificant.
How does the jury select a number?
Judge Barbara Bellis instructed the jury that there are no mathematical formulae for calculating cash amounts.
She advised the jury to award damages that are “fair, just, and reasonable” based on their life experiences and common sense.
Nevertheless, the jury heard testimony and evidence showing that Jones and his business, Free Speech Systems, gained millions of dollars from the sale of products like nutritional supplements and survival gear. The corporation has made at least NZ$177 million (US$100 million) in the last ten years, according to a spokesman of the company.
What kind of damages are being thought of?
Both compensatory and punitive damages could be decided by the jury.
Even while compensatory damages, which can total millions of dollars, are frequently intended to cover people’s actual expenses like medical expenses and lost income.
Punitive damages are intended to make up for wrongdoing. If the jury thinks Jones must pay punitive damages, the judge will set the amount.
Do Connecticut’s damages have a cap?
Yes and no.
While punitive damages are frequently limited to attorney’s fees and costs, compensatory damages are not subject to any state restrictions. Therefore, if the jury rules that Jones should pay punitive damages, he may be required to pay the Sandy Hook families’ attorneys’ fees in the amount of several hundred thousand dollars.
Has Jones already received a similar judgement?
Yes.
The parents of one of the students slain in the school shooting were awarded approximately NZ$88 million (US$50 million) by a jury at a comparable trial in Texas in August for Jones’ promotion of the hoax falsehood on his Infowars show.
However, legal authorities predict that Jones won’t pay the full sum. Texas law typically caps the amount of “exemplary” or punitive damages that defendants must pay in civil trials at twice the amount of “economic damages,” plus up to NZ$1,326,000 (US$750,000). However, this cap is not disclosed to the jury.
Judges frequently overturn shocking verdicts.
Near the end of this year, a third trial in Texas involving the parents of another child killed at Sandy Hook is anticipated to start.
Jurors consider the impact of Alex Jones’ Sandy Hook lies, as explained
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