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Texas Appeals Court Cuts Alex Jones Judgment to $5.6 Million

8/23/2026

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Summary

Alex Jones Judgment Cut

A Texas appeals court cut Alex Jones’s $50 million judgment to about $5.6 million.
The reduction leaves $4.1 million in compensatory and $1.5 million in punitive damages.
The court applied Texas’s $750,000 cap on exemplary damages per plaintiff.
It found Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis failed to prove harassment exceeded the statutory limit.
The panel said the trial judge abused discretion by permitting post-verdict claim amendments.

Summary

Judge Overturns Auction

A federal judge overturned the November 2024 auction that gave Infowars assets to The Onion.
The licensing deal would let The Onion lease Infowars trademarks for $81,000 monthly.
Lease proceeds were meant to fund Sandy Hook defamation judgments.
A Texas appeals court stay halted the asset liquidation and the licensing agreement.

History

Historical Context

The 1964 Supreme Court ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan required public figures to prove actual malice, a standard later applied in Curtis Publishing v. Butts and Gertz v. Welch. After a 2023 Texas jury awarded Alex Jones $50 million for Sandy Hook defamation, a Texas appellate panel in 2024 cut the verdict to $5.6 million, reflecting the Sullivan-era limits on punitive damages.

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Alex Jones Judgment Cut

A Texas appeals court cut Alex Jones’s $50 million judgment to about $5.6 million.
The reduction leaves $4.1 million in compensatory and $1.5 million in punitive damages.
The court applied Texas’s $750,000 cap on exemplary damages per plaintiff.
It found Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis failed to prove harassment exceeded the statutory limit.
The panel said the trial judge abused discretion by permitting post-verdict claim amendments.

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