WATERBURY, Conn. — 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.
But 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.” 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.
“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.
Experts 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.
DOES ALEX JONES HAVE $1 BILLION?
Jones has maintained he doesn’t have the kind of money being sought by the family members suing him. Jones has repeatedly said he doesn’t even have $2 million to his name.
“When the reality sets in that they’re not going to silence me and there’s no money, it’s all an exercise in futility,” Jones said outside the Connecticut courthouse during the trial.
During his testimony, Jones was confronted with a memo from one of his business managers outlining a single day’s gross revenue of $800,000 from selling vitamin supplements and other products through his website. Jones called it a record sales day. Also, a forensic economist testified that Jones and his media company, Free Speech Systems, have a combined net worth that could be as high as $270 million.
“You can’t invent money. If $270 million is the maximum, you’re not going to get more than that, at least without finding some new sources that haven’t yet been uncovered,” Coffee said.