Relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and an FBI agent who responded, alleged that Jones and Free Speech Systems defamed them and inflicted emotional distress by repeatedly broadcasting claims that the shooting was staged.
5 August 2022 to today · 11 dated events · 11 sources
Where it stands now · as of 30 October 2026
As of 30 October 2026 the Connecticut judgment is final, the Texas judgment stands at more than $4.1 million in compensatory and $1.5 million in punitive damages after the 21 August 2026 appeal ruling, and collection proceeds through Jones's Chapter 7 case and a Texas state receivership.
Overview · 5 Aug 2022 to 21 Aug 2026 · click a dot to jump
2022
5 Aug 2022
Turning point
Ruling
Texas jury awards about $50 million to Heslin and Lewis
Jury verdict on damages, Heslin and Lewis v. Jones. After a default ruling on liability, the jury awarded about $4.1 million in compensatory damages and then more than $45 million in punitive damages, about $50 million in total.
Connecticut jury awards $965 million in compensatory damages. The court adds about $473 million on 2022-11-10
Jury verdict on damages, Lafferty v. Jones. After a default ruling on liability entered in 2021 as a sanction for failing to turn over records as ordered, the jury awarded $965 million in compensatory damages to 15 plaintiffs. On 10 November 2022 Judge Bellis added about $473 million, consisting of about $323 million in attorneys' fees and costs and $150 million under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, for a total of about $1.4 billion.
Bankruptcy court orders liquidation of Jones's personal assets and dismisses the Free Speech Systems case
Orders in the Jones and Free Speech Systems bankruptcy cases. Ordered court-supervised liquidation of Jones's personal assets by a Chapter 7 trustee and dismissed the Free Speech Systems bankruptcy without ordering its liquidation.
Declined to approve the trustee's sale of Infowars assets to The Onion's parent company, citing concerns about the transparency of the auction, without finding wrongdoing.
In a unanimous decision released on 6 December 2024, with an official decision date of 10 December 2024 on the US Supreme Court docket, upheld the default liability ruling and the $965 million compensatory award and vacated the $150 million award under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, holding that the plaintiffs had not asserted a legally viable claim under that law.
Bankruptcy judge declines to approve the sale of Infowars to The Onion's parent company. The Connecticut Appellate Court decision, released on 2024-12-06, carries this official date
Texas state court appoints a receiver over Free Speech Systems assets
Order appointing receiver. Appointed Gregory Milligan as receiver to take control of and sell Free Speech Systems assets to pay the Sandy Hook judgments.
US Supreme Court denies certiorari on the Connecticut judgment
Jones v. Lafferty, No. 25-268, order denying certiorari. Denied the petition for certiorari from the Connecticut judgment and denied a related stay application the same day. The docket lists a Connecticut discretionary review decision dated 8 April 2025.
Jones says this is the last official Infowars show from the Austin studio, a day after a Texas appeals court paused the receiver's proposed licensing deal
Texas Third Court of Appeals reduces the Heslin and Lewis award to about $6 million
Opinion in the Heslin and Lewis appeal. In a unanimous opinion, left the compensatory award of more than $4.1 million intact, reduced punitive damages from more than $45 million to $1.5 million to comply with the state's cap of $750,000 per plaintiff, and did not overturn the default finding of defamation liability. AP reports the remaining judgment as about $6 million.
Last updated 30 October 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.