Jury orders conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay Sandy Hook families nearly $1 billion
Amna Nawaz:
As we reported, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been ordered to pay nearly $1 billion, $965 million, to be exact, for the lies he spread about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012.
Jones had falsely claimed the attack that left more than two dozen people dead, including 20 children, was a hoax, and accused a grieving parent of being an actor in the days after the murders. A Texas jury awarded nearly $50 million in a separate damages trial this summer. And Jones likely faces another trial before the year is up.
For some perspective on the scope of this award and what happens now, we turn to Jesse Gessin. He's a trial lawyer in California who works on both civil and criminal cases.
Mr. Gessin, welcome to the "NewsHour." Thank you for joining us.
Let's just start with some context on this verdict. It is an enormous amount of money. What did you think when you heard the damages being awarded?
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