It can take years or even decades to collect judgments, Hentoff said, and Jones’ cases were outliers because he had default judgments against him, meaning he never staged a merits defense.
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The judgment has been compared to pro wrestler Hulk Hogan’s invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the gossip blog Gawker, which ultimately bankrupted the business.īut it’s not clear if the judgment would have a chilling effect on others who broadcast false and defamatory statements, said Thomas Hentoff, a Washington-based First Amendment attorney who has represented major media companies. On his show Thursday, Jones continued to assail his critics and said “we have two years of appeals.” While Jones in recent years has acknowledged the shooting happened, he claims the families are being used to push a gun control and anti-free speech agenda. William Sherlach, whose wife Mary Sherlach was killed at Sandy Hook, told reporters after the judgment that “people like Alex Jones will have to rethink what they say.” On Wednesday, Lopez approved a new restructuring officer to handle Jones’ company and appointed another judge as a mediator to hash out disputes in the federal case.
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Last month, Houston-based bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez dismissed Jones’ attorney and chief restructuring officer – citing a lack of transparency by his company – and empowered a Department of Justice-appointed trustee to hire lawyers to investigate Free Speech Systems. “Bankruptcy is not the place you want to be if you’re hiding assets or behaving badly,” said Horton.
The judgments against Jones personally can still be collected, he said, but their scale might force him to file for individual bankruptcy.īut bankruptcy doesn’t get Jones off the hook. Horton said that Jones’ company’s bankruptcy is likely to complicate and draw out the Sandy Hook families efforts to collect on their judgments.
They say Jones also drew a $1.4 million annual salary from the company at a time that he claimed it was operating at a net loss. The Sandy Hook families have alleged in bankruptcy court filings that after they brought their defamation cases Jones began “diverting assets” out of Free Speech Systems, totaling in 20 to more than $60 million. He said at the time that he was “totally maxed out” financially. Jones told a court his company had estimated assets of $50,000 or less and estimated liabilities of $1 million to $10 million. “This is a judgment that is very likely to exceed his net worth, however it comes down,” said Horton, noting the uncertainty about Jones’ assets.Ĭomplicating matters is the fact that Jones is seeking bankruptcy protection for his company.įree Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July. Here’s a look at some of the issues raised by the judgment.
So while the judgment may be a milestone, it’s not an end point.Įxperts say the Sandy Hook families likely face a long fight ahead as they try to collect the $965 million awarded to them by a jury in Connecticut Wednesday and a separate $49 million judgment from a Texas jury in August. “Every plaintiff’s lawyer knows from often bitter experiences that it is usually easier to get a judgment than to enforce it,” said Columbia University law professor John Coffee.
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(AP) - The nearly $1 billion judgment against Alex Jones for spreading false conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre brought long-sought relief to family members and hopes the eye-popping figure would deter others from broadcasting falsehoods.īut Jones has given no signs of tempering his bluster - a headline on his website Thursday blared that the “show trial verdict signals the death of free speech.” And lawyers say it’s not certain that relatives who lost loved ones in the mass shooting will see the full dollar amount after promised appeals and a bankruptcy proceeding play out.
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