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

A Texas appellate panel on Friday reduced the damages Alex Jones, founder of Infowars, must pay to families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The court limited the total award to about $6 million, citing state caps on punitive damages. While the ruling leaves $4.1 million in compensatory damages and $1.5 million in punitive damages intact, it trims more than $45 million in punitive awards to comply with a $750,000 per-plaintiff limit.

The decision does not overturn the trial court’s finding that Jones defamed the families, nor does it affect a separate $1.25 billion judgment in Connecticut, where he was also found liable for emotional distress. Attorneys for the plaintiffs said the Texas ruling has little practical impact given the larger liability in Connecticut.

Jones, who has appealed the Texas case to the state Supreme Court, called the ruling “a victory for the First Amendment” and said his legal team will continue to fight the damages. He previously acknowledged that the Sandy Hook shootings were real and that his earlier statements were false.

The families of victims, including Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, continue to seek payment, though Jones’ bankruptcy proceedings have delayed collection. The case remains part of broader legal actions aimed at holding him financially accountable for his false claims about the massacre.