Alex Jones keeps Infowars for now after judge rejects The Onion’s winning bid
A Texas federal judge threw out Alex Jones’ Infowars auction to The satirical media Onioncriticizing the tender for the conspiracy theory platform as flawed as well as the amount of money the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting were to receive.
Tuesday night’s ruling is a victory for Jones, whose Infowars site was put up for sale as part of his bankruptcy filing following the case almost 1.5 billion dollars that the courts ordered him to pay for falsely calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax. The families of the Sandy Hook victims had supported The Onion’s candidacy.
Following a two-day hearing in Houston, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said he would not approve the sale, while citing concerns about the transparency of the auction. This clears the way for Jones to keep – at least for now – Infowars, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The Onion had planned to expel Jones and relaunch Infowars in January like a parody.
“We are deeply disappointed by today’s decision, but The Onion will continue to pursue a solution that helps Sandy Hook families achieve a positive outcome for the horror they endured,” said Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron. on social networks Tuesday evening.
Lopez cited problems — but no wrongdoing — with the auction process. He said he didn’t think anyone involved in the auction acted in bad faith and that everyone “did their best and tried to follow the rules.”
Still, Lopez said he didn’t want another auction and left it to the trustee who oversaw the auction to determine next steps.
The Onion offered $1.75 million in cash and other incentives for Infowars assets at auction. First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements, offered $3.5 million.
The offers were just a fraction of the money Jones was ordered to pay in defamation lawsuits filed in Connecticut and Texas by relatives of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. Lopez said the auction outcome “left a lot of money on the table” for families.
“You have to scratch and claw and get everything you can for them,” Lopez said.
Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families who sued Jones in Connecticut, said he was disappointed with the judge’s decision.
“These families, who have already persevered despite countless delays and obstacles, remain resilient and determined more than ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt businesses accountable for the harm he has caused,” Mattei said in a statement. “This decision does not change the fact that, soon, Alex Jones will begin paying his debt to these families and he will continue to do so for as long as it takes.”
Jones, who did not attend the proceedings, returned to his program Tuesday night to celebrate the judge’s decision, calling the auction “ridiculous” and “fraudulent.”
Although The Onion’s cash offer was lower than First United American’s, it also included a commitment from many Sandy Hook families to forfeit $750,000 of the auction proceeds owed to them and to give to other creditors, thereby providing them with more money than they would receive under the First United American offer.
The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy casewhich he filed at the end of 2022 after being ordered to pay almost 1.5 billion dollars in defamation lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas filed by relatives of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
Jones has repeatedly called the shootings that killed 20 children and six educators a hoax staged by actors aimed at increasing gun control. Parents and children of many victims testified in court that they were traumatized by Jones’ plots and threats from his supporters.
Jones has since acknowledged that Connecticut school shooting happened.
Most of the proceeds from the sale of Infowars, as well as many of Jones’ personal assets, will go to the Sandy Hook families. Part of the proceeds will go to Jones’ other creditors.
Administrator Christopher Murray defended The Onion’s bid in court this week, testifying that he did not favor any bidder over the other and was not biased.
He also revealed that First United American had submitted a revised offer in recent days, but he said he could not accept it because the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit objected.
The Onion valued its offer, as well as that of the Sandy Hook families, at $7 million because that amount was equal to a purchase price that would provide the same amount of money to other creditors.
In a court filing last month, Murray’s lawyers called First United American’s request to disqualify The Onion’s bid “an inappropriate attempt by the disappointed bidder to influence an otherwise fair and open election process.”
Jones’ attorney, Ben Broocks, noted that the Sandy Hook trial judgments could be overturned in ongoing appeals and led Murray to acknowledge that the Sandy Hook families’ bid in The Onion bid could collapse if that happened. Indeed, the percentage of the auction proceeds to which they would be entitled could drop considerably and they would not obtain the $750,000 from the sale to give to other creditors.
All equipment and other assets of the Infowars studio in Austin were for sale, along with the rights to its social media accounts, websites, video archives and product brands. Jones uses the studio to broadcast his far-right, conspiracy theory-filled shows on the site Infowars, his account on the social platform X and radio stations. Many of Jones’ personal possessions were also sold.
Jones created another studio, websites and social media accounts in case The Onion got approval to buy Infowars and forced it out. Jones said he could continue to use Infowars platforms if the winner of the auction was friendly with him.
Jones is appealing money that was awarded in rulings citing the right to free speech.
