I doubt that the SH families will receive the kind of money they could have had if they accepted Jones' original offer. Their lawyers made it clear they were in it not for their clients' interest but for their own political agenda.
The 1st amendment doesn't protect all forms of speech. Shouting Fire in a theater, sedition, inciting mobs, entrapment, accessory to a crime (by encouraging someone to do it). None of these are covered in the 1st Amendment.
That's actually very rare. Most cases get settled out of court and most court case don't make it to appeal; thus no legal precedent.
> Shouting Fire in a theater
This is a common misconception. This decision was reversed by the Supreme Court.
> sedition, inciting mobs, entrapment, accessory to a crime (by encouraging someone to do it). None of these are covered in the 1st Amendment.
None of which are what Jones was sued for.
… he was sued for defamation[1], which is sort in line with the parent's point that the 1A doesn't grant you unfettered immunity to the consequences of your speech.
AIUI, the cases in total have awarded nearly $2B cumulative to the plaintiffs. That's a pretty hefty sum. According to Wikipedia, most of it hasn't been paid by Jones. ("By the end of the summer of 2023, Jones had paid nothing to the families" [for $1.5B of the cumulative penalties, 1])
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Jones#Sandy_Hook_Elementa...
> This is a common misconception. This decision was reversed by the Supreme Court.
(IANAL.) Partially overturned. And the existing jurisprudence still seems to say that like the above, you'd be held accountable for your actions. It isn't going to be "you can't say that", it would be something like "your actions (shouting fire, falsely) caused a stampede, and people were trampled, and you're now charged with manslaughter". (The Wikipedia article goes into this, too.)
And he’s definitely experiencing consequences.
Also on the Sandy Hook case, Remington settled out of court, which prevents setting precedent on culpability in gun violence.
[1]: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/19/g-s1-34985/alex-jones-infowar...
Also, I don’t think their agenda is political, it is personal.
I've watched the trial, the SH lawyers are not loyal to the victims and families.
They don't need money, I'm sure they have enough. They denied his money because that isn't the point - they want to mock him.
And, I fully support them. They're in a unique position and frankly I'm very impressed at their restraint in choosing the legal system over violence. If I were Jones, I would consider myself very lucky.
> They don't need money,
These are normal people, what are you talking about?
> I'm very impressed at their restraint in choosing the legal system over violence.
That's not impressive, that's what the vast majority of people do.
The vast majority of people don’t have to endure someone with an audience of millions falsely claiming their murdered children were part of a government conspiracy. Under those circumstances, many might be driven to retaliate violently. It’s a testament to these individuals' strength and restraint that they pursued justice through the legal system instead.
No, defamation is illegal. Me suing you for lying and directly causing me financial harm is not illegal.
> These are normal people, what are you talking about?
They've gotten a lot of money on account of the fact their families were victims of a tragedy. I'm assuming they don't need more money because they literally turned down a few hundred thousand dollars from Jones.
Also, this "what are you talking about?" BS needs to stop. You know what I'm talking about, or at least you can assume. Don't pretend like what I'm saying is so outrageous and unbelievable. You can respond without being annoying, please and thank you.
That was part of the SH families' lawyer final argument to the jury.
> There is more to this life than money.
Sure. But there's not much a civil lawsuit can ask outside of damages and reparations.
Unless Jones manages to limit himself to telling lies about people who use his new company he will be open to lawsuits outside of Texas.