Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones cannot use his personal bankruptcy to escape paying at least $1.1 billion in defamation damages stemming from his repeated lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, a U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday.

  • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    They say this, yet he’s still making and spending to the tune of 100k per month and the courts aren’t doing anything about it. Rich people don’t get to go broke like the rest of us, he’s gonna keep living in a nice house and making millions and get away with not paying anyone, and the courts won’t do shit

    • DogMuffins@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 year ago

      I can see why you would think this, but this is a very unusual case. Particularly so given the decision in this article.

      You’re dead right in that rich people don’t go broke like the rest of us - because they have accountants and lawyers set up complex business structures so if something falls over they can just walk away (or drive away in their nice car to their nice house).

      This article is pretty much saying that all that usual dance isn’t going to work in this case - he still has to pay $1.1b.

      Also, there’s no law that prevents him from going on making money. That may not feel “right” or just but that dynamic is the same even for poor people. That said, at 100k per month it would take him 916 years to pay $1.1b soo… he might curtail his luxurious lifestyle, maybe not.

  • cricket97@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Lemmy: “NO ONE SHOULD BE A BILLIONAIRE” also Lemmy: “1 billion dollars is a fair punishment for saying stupid shit”

    • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I bet it’d be less “stupid shit” if you were on the receiving end of his terror campaign, receiving constant death threats and harassments by his fans, all of whom claiming that your dead child never existed and to stop lying and fake crying.

      • cricket97@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I think punishments should be realistic and not make a man pay 1 billion fucking dollars because he said something stupid. Take the money he made from such statements, with maybe a little bit more on as punishment. There is no world in which a 1.1b amount makes sense. The only purpose is to put him in debt for his entire life, and since this is a political hot button issue people will cheer it along.

        If you were the one who actually killed the kids you would have a lower damages value.

        • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yes, lets all cry tears of sorrow for the poor persecuted Alex Jones.

          How dare he be subject to the find out after spending so long fucking around.

          • cricket97@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I’m advocating for reasonable punishments for crimes rather than a small nation’s gdp in damages because he is politically controversial. I think we can all agree that courts should not be handing out unfathomably large punishments in civil cases just because the person is politically unpopular.

            • Eccitaze@yiffit.net
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              1 year ago

              The dude has enough resources to casually spend more money in a month than most of us make in multiple years, he got those resources by deliberately and knowingly telling lies that ruined the lives of multiple grieving families, he took a giant shit on the entire judicial system by refusing to appear for multiple hearings and repeatedly telling bald-faced lies to the court, and then he handed direct evidence of those bald-faced lies to opposing counsel and let them use it in court. If there’s anyone who deserves life-ruining punishment, it’s this shithead.

              • cricket97@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                He does not have 1b dollars, don’t be ridiculous. And don’t pretend he made all his money from sandy hook conspiracies either. Journalists tell lies all the time, and they’re never hit with 1b in damages

                • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  This is what we call a soft hand conservative.

                  not screaming bloody murder about killing their political rivals and calling everyone groomers.

                  But trying to sound sane and reasonable, but still dropping gems that reveal their true intentions and nature like

                  Journalists tell lies all the time

                  and demanding sympathy for poor, mistreated alex jones and how its a miscarriage of the justice system for him to lose the empire built on lies, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and fake medical products, and using that to incite violence and harassment against others, all because of his own actions, that he chose to take.

                  Bet if this was Rachael Maddow he wouldnt be wringing his hands so hard over it.