Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been ordered to pay $965 million to people who suffered from his false claim that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. Twenty children and six adults died in the incident on December 14, 2012.
Six relatives of five children and three educators killed in the mass shooting and an FBI agent who was among the first responders to the scene filed a lawsuit against Jones. A Texas jury in August awarded nearly $50 million to the parents of another slain child.
Also read: What did Alex Jones say about Sandy Hook school shooting?
Here is a breakdown of the $965 million in damages awarded to them by the jury:
Robbie Parker: Father of a six-year-old, Emilie, who was killed at Sandy Hook spoke about the years of criticism from Jones’ supporters after he mentioned on the conspiracy theorist’s broadcasts.
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $60 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $60 million
Total damages: $120 million
Also read: Alex Jones: What is conspiracy theorist’s net worth?
William Sherlach: Husband of Mary Sherlach, who was a school psychologist at Sandy Hook, William said he received notes and emails from conspiracy theorists saying Robbie Parker was an actor.
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $9 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $27 million
Total damages: $36 million
David and Francine Wheeler: The two were parents of six-year-old Ben Wheeler who was killed during the mass shooting. They worked in a New York theater and received abuse because of their profession as conspiracy theorists claimed they were ‘actors’.
A theory also claimed that David Wheeler and William Aldenberg, the FBI agent who was also a plaintiff, were the same person.
David Wheeler:
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $25 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: : $30 million
Francine Wheeler:
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $24 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $30 million
Total damages: $109 million
Jacqueline and Mark Barden: Parents of a seven-year-old Daniel Barden, the couple spoke about receiving messages from conspiracy theorists who said they had urinated on their son’s grave and wanted to dig up his body.
Jacqueline Barden:
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $10 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $18.8 million
Mark Barden:
Defamation/Slander Damages, past and future: $25 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $32.6 million
Total damages: $86.4 million
Nicole and Ian Hockley: The couple lost their child Dylan Hockley parents of Dylan Hockley in the 2012 shooting. The two said that they received threats and abuse on social media.
Nicole Hockley:
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $32 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $41.6 million
Ian Hockley:
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $38 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $43.6 million
Total damages: $155.2 million
Jennifer Hensel: Mother of Avielle Richman, 6, Hensel said that people claimed that her daughter was alive and being impersonated by a living Newtown girl.
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $21 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $31 million
Total damages: $52 million
The Sotos: The family of Vicki Soto, a first-grade teacher killed at Sandy Hook, said that they were accosted by a Brooklyn man, Matthew Mills, during a 5 km run they sponsored in memory of Vicki.
Mills waved a photo that said ‘this never happened’. He was arrested and charged with breach of peace.
Donna Soto
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $18 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $30 million
Carlee Soto Parisi
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $30 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $36 million
Carlos Mathew Soto
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $18.6 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $39 million
Jillian Soto-Marino
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $30 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $38.8 million
Total damages: $240.4 million
William Aldenberg: An F.B.I. agent who responded to the shooting, Aldenberg said that a photo of him on the day of the shooting was circulated with a claim that he David Wheeler, whose son Ben died. People said he was a ‘crisis actor’.
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $45 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $45 million
Total: $90 million
Erica Lafferty: Daughter of Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, the principal who was killed in Sandy Hook, said she received abuse and rape threats from conspiracy theorists.
Defamation/slander damages, past and future: $18 million
Emotional distress damages, past and future: $58 million
Total: $76 million
