Suck it Alex Jones

[mkd]

Very rational argument.^^
 You have to run your opinion through both sides so to speak. Jones as the worstest-person-ever unequivocally fails in this regard.
 I haven't analyzed much on whether the burden of proof was met in this case, so i'm open to explanation. Did anyone go to jail for the so called death threat to the parents? that is a crime. If not that sure seems to be a strike against the case.
Comparing CNN 'the most trusted name in news' literally falsely manipulating the facts (in order to sell ad dollars) of the sandman case that was settled out of court without jury verdict to Mr 'turning the frogs gay' getting f'ed with a 1 billion jury award is well beyond apple to oranges. It's straight up perversion of the system when Rachel Madcow gets out of by reason of no one takes her serious. She sure seems to portray herself as serious news, imo. Jones not so much.

[TylerBeer]

I do have concerns about the ever increasing amounts being awarded by juries. The lawyers find a group of 12 poor people and trigger them emotionally to "send a message" award amounts. 

In this case if alex jones has a net worth of $200 mil, and or info-wars is worth a heft sum, then the send a message award has merit  -   otherwise anyone with money would have zero accountability whatsoever if they were handed the same sentence as any one of us who were found guilty of libel

[TylerBeer]

It's a stupid verdict to appease the dumbsmits of the world. And obviously it worked or this thread wouldn't have been posted.

Regardless of his character, paying people that got offended by what someone else said is stupid.
This is almost as stupid as the verdict that make gun companies responsible for murders.

Do you have kids? Are they dead? stfu.

[neurosis]

The lawyers find a group of 12 poor people and trigger them emotionally to "send a message" award amounts. 

In the case of Alex Jones, do we know that the jury members were poor? Maybe they were parent's who might think they know what it would feel like to lose a child and then have the child's death exploited and openly mocked by someone using their deaths to push an agenda and/or make a buck.

I would agree that both cases are justified.  I can't compare them when it comes to the amount of pain and suffering caused. Some people cant function for months after a divorce. I could only imagine what losing a child would be like.

[YoDoug]

Very rational argument.^^
 You have to run your opinion through both sides so to speak. Jones as the worstest-person-ever unequivocally fails in this regard.
 I haven't analyzed much on whether the burden of proof was met in this case, so i'm open to explanation. Did anyone go to jail for the so called death threat to the parents? that is a crime. If not that sure seems to be a strike against the case.
Comparing CNN 'the most trusted name in news' literally falsely manipulating the facts (in order to sell ad dollars) of the sandman case that was settled out of court without jury verdict to Mr 'turning the frogs gay' getting f'ed with a 1 billion jury award is well beyond apple to oranges. It's straight up perversion of the system when Rachel Madcow gets out of by reason of no one takes her serious. She sure seems to portray herself as serious news, imo. Jones not so much.

I disagree. The legal definition for Defamation/libel was met in both cases. Whether or not Alex Jones is a bigger POS than CNN, et al, is irrelevant. The problem I have is that it seems as though juries are no longer awarding amounts that can be justified as damages and instead awarding amounts to punish the defendant. The line between civil and criminal court is getting blurred by this.

[YoDoug]

In the case of Alex Jones, do we know that the jury members were poor? Maybe they were parent's who might think they know what it would feel like to lose a child and then have the child's death exploited and openly mocked by someone using their deaths to push an agenda and/or make a buck.

I would agree that both cases are justified.  I can't compare them when it comes to the amount of pain and suffering caused. Some people cant function for months after a divorce. I could only imagine what losing a child would be like.

By poor in this case I mean not multi-millionaires/billionaires. When jurists of large civil cases are interviewed post trial there is often an expressed sense or almost fantasy of "winning the payout lottery" against a big evil corp or rich person.

[mkd]

I disagree. The legal definition for Defamation/libel was met in both cases. Whether or not Alex Jones is a bigger POS than CNN, et al, is irrelevant. The problem I have is that it seems as though juries are no longer awarding amounts that can be justified as damages and instead awarding amounts to punish the defendant. The line between civil and criminal court is getting blurred by this.

i 100% AGREE, EXCEPT THE PART WHERE YOU DISAGREED.

[YoDoug]

In this case if alex jones has a net worth of $200 mil, and or info-wars is worth a heft sum, then the send a message award has merit  -  otherwise anyone with money would have zero accountability whatsoever if they were handed the same sentence as any one of us who were found guilty of libel

Except that is not how the law works. Bringing a case in civil court requires that you can show damages. You can't just take McDonalds to court for $1T because you are fat. You need to prove that they caused it and that there is damages or loss because of what they did. Sending a message does not prove damages. I agree that it makes it easy for serial liars like Jones, CNN, ABC, etc to keep lying and not be held accountable.

[CNCAppsJames]

...Bringing a case in civil court requires that you can show damages....

... and damages are assessed in two basic ways; compensatory and punitive. Most everything has a compensatory value in our legal system. Loose an arm, you get awarded X, loose a leg get awarded Y, loose a finger, get awarded Z, loose "consortium" you get awarded A, etc...

The compensatory math that isn't quite so cut and dry comes when say an individual, group of individuals, or an organization's mouthpieces knowingly and maliciously slander/libel you. There is a definite value that is placed upon what was damaged. That value varies by the individual.

Putative Damages OTOH are seemingly more arbitrary and subject to many factors, jury being one significant factor. They are by design supposed to hurt the defendant financially. As much as we may like to see companies bankrupted by judgements, I believe this goes beyond the historical intent of putative damages and needs to be put in check. Because while the shitbirds may be cheering from the sidelines (yay... so and so deserved that $1t judgement...). The law of unintended consequences WILL come home to roost, and more than likely it will roost in negative ways we cannot even begin to imagine.

JM2CFWIW

[TylerBeer]

Except that is not how the law works. Bringing a case in civil court requires that you can show damages. You can't just take McDonalds to court for $1T because you are fat. You need to prove that they caused it and that there is damages or loss because of what they did. Sending a message does not prove damages. I agree that it makes it easy for serial liars like Jones, CNN, ABC, etc to keep lying and not be held accountable.

Sure there's the letter of the law, and then there's the spirit of the law. Can you award damages in $1Bn because it took a child dying to drive ad revenue to Alex Jones?  I guess it depends on how you assign value to a child's life.

[TylerBeer]

Ol' playing Devil's advocate really suiting the title on this one

[CNCAppsJames]

...I guess it depends on how you assign value to a child's life.

"This inquiry examines the age of the deceased, her income, her profession, her capacity for future increases in earnings, and other factors, less expenses. The court takes all this information and reduces the deceased's entire lifetime of earnings into a present-day value. So, as you might imagine, a young life is worth more than an old one, and a doctor's life is worth more than a janitor's life."

https://gimmelaw.com/how-much-is-a-human-life-worth-in-dollars

Just playing 'ol devil's advocate... because I know you aren't REALLY interested in legal definitions... just your feels.

[Jeff]

Do you have kids? Are they dead? stfu.

You assume too much. And that makes you a fucking asshole. My personal life is of no concern to you.

[mega]

Every one of his prognostications came true.
.
We'll, maybe not the gay frogs. But the rest did.

Alex Jones is undeniably an epic asshole
but that $1 billion verdict is a political message, not a just verdict.
I doubt it will survive an appeal

Alex Jones used to be a big name in alternative media, he uncovered the existence of the Illegal Bilderburg meeting, he also predicted the vaccine tyranny that just happened around 2010,

I think the rage at what the radical left was doing drove him insane, like a lot of right wing people, & left.

So I feel like Alex Jones is not one of the bad guys, does he deserve to pay the 1 billion?

Maybe, but this is all about censoring free speech, not about the Shooting..

[mega]

I like how Alex Jones immediately starts asking his listeners for donations.   I'm sure that there are people dumb enough to send that turd of a human being money. 

I bought products from him before, like brain force and a few others, the ingredients are actually very good compared to the competition

Even for brain force