> I also think $50m is simply an insane amount of money. To you it is, but Alex Jones is very well off: - "Alex Jones worth up to $270m, expert says, as famil

> I also think $50m is simply an insane amount of money. To you it is, but Alex Jones is very well off: - "Alex Jones worth up to $270m, expert says, as family seeks punitive damages" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/05/sandy-hook-families-to-seek-punitive-damages-beyond-41m-ordered-from-alex-jones https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/05/sandy-hook-f... - "Bernard Pettingill told the court that records indicate Jones withdrew $62m for himself from his company in 2021 as his legal troubles grew." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-62444302 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-62444302 - "his and Free Speech Systems’ combined net worth likely fell between $135 million and $270 million." https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/us/alex-jones-finances.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/us/alex-jones-finances.ht... > What damages were actually done here? Most of the amount is to punish and deter, not to compensate the parents. - "The punitive damages are meant to act as a deterrent, and to stop Jones from repeating his offence." - "[Punitive damages] are awarded when compensatory damages — the money given to the injured party — are deemed to be insufficient. [... They] are specifically designed to punish defendants whose conduct is considered grossly negligent or intentional. Punitive damages are also referred to as exemplary damages as they are intended to set an example to deter others from committing similar acts." https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/punitive-damages.asp https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/punitive-damages.asp $1m would be a big punishment to you, but too little to punish Alex Jones, who can apparently withdraw $62m from their own company in a year. Jones' estimated net worth was almost certainly a factor in the amount, along with an assessment of just how awful and grossly negligent his behaviour was. > I worry about this is because if I believe someone is doing something evil does that mean I now have to stay silent in case some crazy person agrees with what I'm saying and does something crazy? There's a big difference between you saying it to a few friends you think are stable, and building up a lucrative, commercial media empire to broadcast your for-massive-profit message to huge numbers of random people, when you know that many of them believe what you say very seriously, and saying to them over, over and again that someone who looks like a grieving parent is secretly doing somethng evil and something should be done about it. That said, to some extent yes you should be careful about saying things that have harmful consequences you could reasonably anticipate. It is possible to be grossly negligent with speech. For example if I told you a drink was safe that I knew contained a poison so that you drank it and then died from the poison, I could not hide behind free speech for that. If you're talking with a friend that you believe will do something crazy if you say certain things, please do be careful what you suggest to them.