Not enough Whisky for this Tango Foxtrot

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The jury vote wasn't about whether to hold Jones liable; that had already been determined based on a default judgment. It qas only about how much to award. I would guess the 2 holdouts thought it should be a different amount, probably less.

X-posted with N.E.B.

[RoseMorninStar]

The jury vote wasn't about whether to hold Jones liable; that had already been determined based on a default judgment. It qas only about how much to award. I would guess the 2 holdouts thought it should be a different amount, probably less.

X-posted with N.E.B.

Ah, that makes more sense.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Maybe the two holdouts actually wanted to hold him liable for more:

A jury finds Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim

I expect that the judge will reduce the award, but that certainly sends quite the message.

[elengil]

I expect that the judge will reduce the award, but that certainly sends quite the message.

Given how exasperated the judge sounded dealing with him, I'd love to think she wouldn't.

I'm more curious whether there will be any legal repercussions for his proven, repeated perjury.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

If my understanding of Texas law is correct, she probably does not have discretion not to.

[Frelga]

There are two more trials to go, one of which is in Connecticut. I wonder if the lawyers in those trials can get access to the same information that was "accidentally" released in this one.

[N.E. Brigand]

Maybe the two holdouts actually wanted to hold him liable for more:

A jury finds Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim

I expect that the judge will reduce the award, but that certainly sends quite the message.

OMG. Just heard about this. Wow.

[RoseMorninStar]

Maybe the two holdouts actually wanted to hold him liable for more:

A jury finds Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim

I expect that the judge will reduce the award, but that certainly sends quite the message.

Considering the sizable income he has pouring in from his toxic lies, the payouts should be HUGE in order to be a deterrent/send a message. I've read he takes in something like $800,000 per day on merchandise (who is buying this shit?) and he is getting hundreds of thousands in donations and also a $1 million anonymous donation.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Here is the Texas law capping the amount of exemplary damages (which is another term for punitive damages:

Sec. 41.008. LIMITATION ON AMOUNT OF RECOVERY. (a) In an action in which a claimant seeks recovery of damages, the trier of fact shall determine the amount of economic damages separately from the amount of other compensatory damages.

(b) Exemplary damages awarded against a defendant may not exceed an amount equal to the greater of:

(1)(A) two times the amount of economic damages; plus

(B) an amount equal to any noneconomic damages found by the jury, not to exceed $750,000; or

(2) $200,000.

(c) This section does not apply to a cause of action against a defendant from whom a plaintiff seeks recovery of exemplary damages based on conduct described as a felony in the following sections of the Penal Code if, except for Sections 49.07 and 49.08, the conduct was committed knowingly or intentionally:

(1) Section 19.02 (murder);

(2) Section 19.03 (capital murder);

(3) Section 20.04 (aggravated kidnapping);

(4) Section 22.02 (aggravated assault);

(5) Section 22.011 (sexual assault);

(6) Section 22.021 (aggravated sexual assault);

(7) Section 22.04 (injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual, but not if the conduct occurred while providing health care as defined by Section 74.001 of this code);

(8) Section 32.21 (forgery);

(9) Section 32.43 (commercial bribery);

(10) Section 32.45 (misapplication of fiduciary property or property of financial institution);

(11) Section 32.46 (fraudulent securing of document execution);

(12) Section 32.47 (fraudulent destruction, removal, or concealment of writing);

(13) Chapter 31 (theft) the punishment level for which is a felony of the third degree or higher;

(14) Section 49.07 (intoxication assault);

(15) Section 49.08 (intoxication manslaughter);

(16) Section 21.02 (continuous sexual abuse of young child or disabled individual); or

(17) Chapter 20A (trafficking of persons).

Since all of the compensatory damages awarded were non-economic, and the conduct does not fall under any of the exceptions, the $45.2 million is probably going to have to be reduced to $750,000, unless there is something that I am missing. As I understand it the jury is not allowed to be told about the cap, but that seems to be a ridiculous way of doing things.

[Inanna]

Hopefully the CT case will take him to the cleaners.

[Frelga]

Do we even need any other threads in this forum?

This is one of my random internet finds. Since I don't follow Alaskan politics, I can only speculate. But I suspect that Kelly Tshibaka, the Trump-endorsed Republican challenger, decided to campaign under her first name to draw attention away from her non-Anglo last name. Which may be nibbling on her posterior now.

Also, it's Buzz Kelley, not Kelly.

20220807_093839.jpg (128.72 KiB) Viewed 2073 times

[N.E. Brigand]

Maybe the two holdouts actually wanted to hold him liable for more:

A jury finds Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim

I expect that the judge will reduce the award, but that certainly sends quite the message.

Look how the Republican running to be Ohio's next U.S. senator described Jones just 11 months ago:

[Frelga]

A Russian nationalist group is trying to distract its followers from all the Russian stuff blowing in Ukraine by discussing which neighboring tribe will produce the next great Russian tzar. Serbs seem to be favored, being sufficiently Slavic, and powerful as people. In case someone in River's family is interested in applying.

On an adjacent WTF subject, I see tankies insisting that Russia never had any imperial ambitions. Never mind they it was literally called the Russian Empire from 1721 to 1917 with its ruler being titled an Emperor. Not to mention everything that went down before and after.

[River]

My MiL would have them out of Ukraine and cleaning house by lunchtime. And Strina would make them rebuild the roads on their way out, though Strina's in poor health so I think we'll have to stick with my MiL.

[RoseMorninStar]

My MiL would have them out of Ukraine and cleaning house by lunchtime. And Strina would make them rebuild the roads on their way out, though Strina's in poor health so I think we'll have to stick with my MiL.

LOL. Made of the same stuff as my grandmother.

[N.E. Brigand]

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, it appears the Omaha police department is planning to provide weapons to a company that, at least, seems to flirt with white supremacist symbols. To be sure, 88 Tactical, "a large gun range and store on the outskirts of Omaha where 'civilians as well as law enforcement and military personnel' train," doesn't describe itself explicitly as a neo-Nazi firm, and apparently "88" is also a police code meaning that a crime scene is secure, but if the reporting is true about the "1488" reference in the firing range, that would be pretty suspicious, and I'm not sure I buy the attested explanation in the photo below for the branding on display:



It's all of a piece with the use by some extremists of the "OK" hand gesture to mean "White Power": you're not meant to be able to tell what's serious and what's not.

And to loop back to something else I noted today: it seems the firm also has ties to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro?

[N.E. Brigand]

The jury found that Alex Jones must pay $4.1 million in compensatory to Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting. The jury still has to determine punitive damagers, but because the jury was not unanimous (the vote was 10-2), and because a unanimous decision is required for punitive damages in Texas, it's likely that the punitive damages, which can be as much as twice the compensatory damages plus $750,000 (i.e., another $8.85 million), will be far less (or even nothing at all).

Jones faces two more such trials. Meanwhile, Jones's attorneys have been ordered to appear in Connecticut superior court next week because apparently they also improperly shared confidential medical records when they carelessly provided discovery materials a couple weeks ago.

The disciplinary hearing in Connecticut for Alex Jones's lawyers, Andino Reynal and Norm Pattis, regarding their accidental and improper sharing of private medical files during the Texas trial of Alex Jones, happened today. Reynal was profusely apologetic. By contrast, Pattis, who apparently was testifying in that hearing while on a break from remotely attending a hearing for one of his clients in D.C. in a January 6th case, Owen Shroyer (one of Jones's associates), invoked his Fifth Amendment right 25 times:

"State Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis, who suspended jury selection Thursday and Friday in the upcoming Connecticut trial [of Alex Jones] specifically to decide whether to discipline Reynal and Pattis, gave both sides 10 days to make arguments about the implications of Pattis refusing to answer questions in his own disciplinary hearing."

[Frelga]

How does that work? Can people take the 5th even if they are not on/witnesses to a trial? Any time they are under oath?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Yes.

[Jude]

Holy swear words