Litigation partner and free speech expert Doug Mirell participated in an interview discussing the Alex Jones defamation trials with Chance Seales on Newsy Tonight. Jones, the host of the InfoWars podcast, is being sued by the families of some of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. In the current case, the family of one deceased child is seeking $150 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Sandy Hook families are also alleging that Jones is trying to protect his assets because he has filed for bankruptcy protection, midway through the trial, listing an outstanding $56 million debt obligation.

Excerpt:

"What is the bigger picture here that this case can teach us about free speech in 2022?"

"It's interesting. In his opening statement, the plaintiff’s lawyer in the case now pending in Texas had a great line. 'Speech is free, but lies you have to pay for.' In this case, there has already been a determination that the statements Alex Jones made on his InfoWars podcast are lies. That is not a fact the jury needs to determine. That is a fact that is known. So the question is how much is ultimately going to be extracted from him for having promulgated those lies, and for continuing to repeat them over the years."

Resources

• Newsy Tonight with Chance Seales