An appeals court reduced the defamation award that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay to the parents of a Sandy Hook victim. The new amount is $6 million, down from the original $49 million judgment. The reduction was based on a Connecticut law that caps punitive damages in civil cases.

The parents of James Foley—a victim killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting—had initially won the larger judgment against Jones for spreading false claims that the massacre was a hoax. Jones, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, was also ordered to pay over $1 billion in damages in separate defamation cases brought by other Sandy Hook families.

The appeals court ruling highlights the ongoing legal battles surrounding Jones' content on his platform Infowars. The case continues to draw attention to the consequences of spreading misinformation about traumatic public events. The reduced award still represents a significant financial penalty, though notably lower than the original figure.