Texas Court Reduces Alex Jones' Sandy Hook Damages to $1.5 Million

Why it matters locally: This ruling directly impacts a Texas-based defendant and his company, Free Speech Systems, in a case decided by a Texas appellate court. The decision highlights the application of Texas state law regarding punitive damage caps.

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A Texas appellate court has reduced the damages owed by Alex Jones to the parents of a Sandy Hook victim from approximately $50 million to $1.5 million. The Third Court of Appeals in Austin cited a Texas law that caps punitive damages in its ruling on Thursday. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of Jesse Lewis, who died in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, sued Jones for defamation. Jones had repeatedly claimed the mass shooting was a hoax. A jury initially awarded the parents $4.1 million in compensatory damages and $45.2 million in punitive damages in August 2022. The appeals court reduced the punitive damages to $1.5 million, bringing the total award to $1.5 million. Texas law limits punitive damages to twice the amount of economic damages plus $750,000, or $750,000 if no economic damages occur. The court determined that the maximum allowable punitive damages under this statute were $1.5 million. This ruling specifically addresses the judgment against Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, in Texas. It does not affect a separate $1.25 billion judgment against Jones issued by a Connecticut court. That judgment stemmed from a different lawsuit filed by other Sandy Hook families who also accused Jones of defamation.