Texas appeals court cuts Alex Jones' Sandy Hook damages to about $6 million

A Texas appellate court on Friday lowered the punitive damages awarded to Sandy Hook families from more than $45 million to $1.5 million, bringing the total judgment against Infowars founder Alex Jones and his company Free Speech Systems to about $6 million. The court kept the $4.1 million in compensatory damages that a jury had previously granted to parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis for defamation and emotional distress.

The reduction reflects Texas law, which caps punitive damages at $750,000 per plaintiff. The court said the plaintiffs had not shown that the harassment stemming from Jones' false claims rose to a level that would justify exceeding the cap, and it found that the trial judge had improperly allowed the families to seek higher damages after the trial.

The ruling does not affect a separate $1.25 billion judgment entered in Connecticut against Jones for the same conduct. Jones, who has filed for bankruptcy and is appealing both judgments, described the Texas decision as a victory for the First Amendment and said he will continue to pursue appeals.

"I got lawyers who are good constitutional lawyers and they are not backing down," Jones said on his streaming show.

Heslin and Lewis' attorney, Mark Bankston, called the Texas decision "irrelevant" because the families still face liabilities exceeding a billion dollars.

The families testified that followers of Jones' conspiracy theories subjected them to threats and harassment after he claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. Jones conceded during the trial that the attack was "100 % real" and that his earlier statements were false.

Legal proceedings to liquidate Free Speech Systems and satisfy the Connecticut judgment are ongoing, and a proposed licensing arrangement for The Onion to use Infowars trademarks remains on hold pending the outcome of the appeals.