Award recognizes attorneys whose case had a major social impact
HOUSTON — Attorneys Kyle Farrar, Wesley Ball, Mark Bankston and Bill Ogden from Farrar & Ball, LLP, have been named Public Justice 2023 Trial Lawyer of the Year for their $49.3 million verdict against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
The firm represented the parents of second-graders Jesse Lewis and Noah Pozner, who were murdered during the 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The case – Neil Heslin & Scarlet Lewis v. Alex Jones, et al. – was the first of its kind against Mr. Jones and his company InfoWars. Though the families brought the case in 2018, Mr. Jones repeatedly delayed the proceedings and refused to comply with the rules of the court, which later awarded more than $1 million in sanctions against him.
The verdict marked the first time Mr. Jones was held financially liable for his false statements about the shooting.
“Truth matters — Alex Jones’ lies gave rise to violence against parents who had already lost so much,” Mr. Farrar said. “To be able to bring justice to these parents while holding Mr. Jones’ lies to the light is why I do this.”
Public Justice is a non-profit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and environmental cases. Each year, it awards its Trial Lawyer of the Year honor to an attorney or a group of attorneys who have made the greatest contribution to the public interest within the past year by setting precedent in a socially significant case. Read more about the group’s honor for Farrar & Ball here.
“The award is an honor, but even more fulfilling was the chance to help these families,” Mr. Ball said. “When the jury came back with the punitive damages, it was not only an affirmation of the work we did, but a recognition of the cruelty of Mr. Jones’ lies.”
Attorneys at Farrar & Ball, LLP, are trial lawyers who reject antiquated methods by forging novel and winning strategies from the beginning of each case. To learn more about the firm, please visit https: fbtrial.com/
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BeLynn Hollers
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