http://syn2.thecanadianpress.com:8080/mrss/feed/fcf7391a2f354311807f0501c16bde6a MSN - AP World Copyright © 2010-2018 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved. http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Wed, 22 Mar 2023 21:59:43 +0000 http://syn2.thecanadianpress.com:8080/mrss/feed/fcf7391a2f354311807f0501c16bde6a/82d55b5a8eaf40aea271bf054b7baa5a A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars' Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws. (Aug. 5) 82d55b5a8eaf40aea271bf054b7baa5a Sat, 06 Aug 2022 01:29:35 +0000 SHOTLIST:RESTRICTIONS: POOLAustin – 5 August 2022HEADLINE: Alex Jones is ordered to pay $45.2 million1. SOUNDBITE (English) Maya Guerra Gamble, Judge:"Question number one, $4,200,000. Question number two $20,500,000. Question number three $20,500,000. 2. Shot of lawyers hugging Neil Heslin and Scarlett LewisANNOTATION: A Texas jury on Friday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook victim.ANNOTATION: Adding to the $4.1 million in compensatory damages bringing the total to pay to $49.3 million for Jones.3. Wide shot of Alex Jones lawyers and judgeANNOTATION: The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut.4. Shot of Neil Haskins and Scarlett Lewis lawyerANNOTATION: Jones still faces two other defamation lawsuits from Sandy Hook families in Texas and Connecticut.STORYLINE: A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars' Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws.The amount is less than the $150 million sought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among 19 children and six educators killed in the deadliest classroom shooting in U.S. history.The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut.Jurors at first awarded Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages, which Jones called a major victory. But in the final phase of the two-week trial, the same Austin jury came back and tacked on an additional $45.2 million in punitive damages.Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. A high punitive award is also seen as a chance for jurors to send a wider societal message and a way to deter others from the same abhorrent conduct in the future.Attorneys for the family had urged jurors to hand down a financial punishment that would put Infowars out of business."You have the ability to stop this man from ever doing it again," Wesley Ball, an attorney for the parents, told the jury.It's unclear how much money Jones and Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, have.An economist hired by the plaintiffs testified that Jones and the company are worth up to $270 million, suggesting that Jones was still making money.But Jones testified that any award over $2 million would "sink us." And Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy protection during the trial's first week.Jones still faces two other defamation lawsuits from Sandy Hook families in Texas and Connecticut.===========================================================Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars' Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws. (Aug. 5) Alex Jones is ordered to pay over $49 million