HARTFORD, Conn. — In a short and pointed ruling, the judge who presided over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Connecticut Sandy Hook defamation trial on Thursday rejected his arguments that the jury’s $1.4 billion damages award should be reduced and a new trial ordered.
The six-page decision by Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis means the jury verdict returned at the conclusion of a two-week trial in September and October stands and what Jones has signaled will be years of appeals can begin.
Jones, through his lawyer Norm Pattis, had argued that the jury’s potentially record-setting damages award was excessive and based on emotion rather than evidence. And he asked that the verdict be set aside, arguing that the cumulative weight of Bellis’ rulings against Jones both before and during trial amounted to a “complete abdication” of the court’s duty to assure a fair trial.
