Who Is Alex Jones?
Before understanding exactly what the judge ruled last week and why it’s so important, one first needs to know exactly who Alex Jones is and why he owes more than $1 billion to the families of the Sandy Hook mass shooting.
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Alex Jones, host of the podcast InfoWars, told the world last December that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 was a hoax, and that the parents publically mourning their children were actors. All of this is at a time when most are calling for stricter gun laws to avoid such tragedies.
His Slander Was Not Tolerated
Of course, his slanderous accusations were not only incredibly hurtful for the grieving families, but they were also completely illegal.
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Therefore, after the families took Jones to court, the original ruling stated that he would have to pay restitution to each of the families that he lied about.
The Sandy Hook Tragedy
During the original proceedings, the families of the 27 victims lost during the first ever elementary school shooting in the United States fought against the podcast host and won.
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However, since that day in court, Alex Jones has put off paying the families what they are owed. And now, he’s claiming that he simply doesn’t have the money to pay them at all.
Alex Jones Claimed He’s “Out of Money”
On Thursday, Alex Jones approached the court in order to ask them to forgive his legal debts to the families of Newton, Connecticut, claiming that he is “officially out of money, personally.”
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In some cases, filing for bankruptcy can be a great way to get out of paying debts, but that doesn’t apply to the crimes Alex Jones committed.
Why Didn’t Filing for Bankruptcy Work for Alex Jones?
Here’s how it works: The only way a defendant can get out of paying what they owe after filing for bankruptcy is if they are cleared of malicious or willful injury.
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And the U.S. District Judge Christopher Lopez ruled that absolutely does not apply to Jones. Lopez explained, “[In] Jones’s case, the language of the jury instruction confirms that the damages awarded flow from the allegation of intent to harm the Plaintiffs — not allegations of recklessness.”
How Much Does Alex Jones Owe?
According to the latest figures, Alex Jones still owes a whopping $1.1 billion in total. That accounts for the smaller amounts that he owes several of the 27 families that he disparaged on his right-wing podcast, InfoWars.
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However, Jones explained, “the money doesn’t exist. I don’t have a million dollars. My company has a few million, but that’s just to pay the bills and my product in the future. So we are literally on empty.”
Families Are Frustrated by Jones’ Personal Spending
But while Jones cries poverty, a recent report stated that he spent an almost unbelievable $93,000 just in July of 2023. And apparently, thousands of that total were spent on entertainment and restaurants.
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The families’ lawyer Christopher Mattei said, “It is disturbing that Alex Jones continues to spend money on excessive household expenditures and his extravagant lifestyle when that money rightfully belongs to the families he spent years tormenting.”
The Sandy Hook Families Are Pleased With the Ruling
Mattei also explained to the press that the families are “pleased with the Court’s ruling that Jones’s malicious conduct will find no safe harbor in the bankruptcy court.”
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Although the court ruled in their favor, many families are worried that Alex Jones will either find a way to deny them what they’re owed, or simply keep putting off payments indefinitely.
No Amount of Money Will Bring Back Their Children
Although the families of the victims do believe that Alex Jones deserves to pay for what he said, the truth is that it’s not about the money, it’s about justice.
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No amount of money will bring back their children, but at least in some way, Jones’ words will be punished and hopefully, he and others like him will learn a valuable lesson.
Many of the Sandy Hook Family Members Are Still Fighting for Gun Safety
Even while mourning the loss of their loved ones, many of the family members of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting are vocal advocates for gun violence awareness.
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They desperately want the world to understand that protecting their kids is far more important than protecting their guns, as they sadly know all too well.
The Sandy Hook Victims Will Never Be Forgotten
The ruling that Alex Jones must pay the families and victims he dishonored on his podcast is certainly a win. However, it’s not Jones that will live on in the memories of these families, the country, and the world as a whole.
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There is no doubt that we will forever remember what happened that day at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and the importance and reverence of that day cannot be diminished by one man with a microphone.