Why is Alex Jones getting sued — and why lawsuits are not enough

Why is Alex Jones getting sued? A better question is why are billion dollar defamation jury verdicts like in Sandy Hook not enough to stop America's liars.

A Connecticut jury on Wednesday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay nearly $1 billion for defaming the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting victims. Given Jones’ wealth, which was estimated at $135 million to $270 million if you include his media company, this verdict would seem bound to put Jones out of business. (To be clear, that damages number, which includes penalties imposed in a previous trial in Texas, will also likely change; Jones has one more trial left, and state sentencing caps and other considerations could ultimately limit the financial payout.) No matter how many millions Jones will ultimately have to pay, many are finding solace and relief in the fact that he has to pay at all.

This is natural, and fair. But we must keep in mind that Jones is just one of many conspiracy theorists and provocateurs who spread hate and falsehoods. And even he is not going down without a fight.

As soon as the verdict was announced, Jones called the lawsuit a political weapon for the Democrats. Holding his head high, he called on his followers to donate money and vowed to keep speaking his truth while claiming he would not have to actually pay out the damages. Clearly, defamation lawsuits alone cannot break the lie machines created by men like Jones, which have inflicted tremendous pain on private individuals, eroded citizens’ confidence in democratic institutions and radicalized segments of our society to engage in violence.

For one thing, defamation lawsuits do not cover every kind of misinformation that pundits such as Dan Bongino, politicians such as Donald Trump and media outlets such as OANN are feeding their audiences. They do not even cover the lies, like chemicals in the water have turned frogs gay or that Robert Mueller is a pedophile, both of which Jones has promoted on his programs.

That’s because to constitute defamation, a published statement must be demonstrably false, must have a negative impact on the reputation of a person and must be made with intent and malice — if it is about public figures. Many widespread conspiracy theories and falsehoods do not qualify as defamation because they do not have identifiable people (e.g., the conspiracy theories claiming that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were an inside job), because they target public officials who may not be able to prove actual malice or reputational harm (e.g., the Pizzagate conspiracy theory claiming Hillary Clinton was involved in child sex trafficking) or because they cannot easily be proven to be demonstrably false.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/alex-jones-getting-sued-lawsuits-are-not-enough-rcna52179

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