A federal judge in Texas refused to sell Alex Jones’ Infowars auction to satirical news outlet The Onion, criticizing the bidding on the conspiracy theory platform as flawed, as well as the amount of money the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting would have received.
The decision issued late Tuesday night is a victory for Jones, whose Infowars website was put up for sale as part of his bankruptcy case in the wake of nearly $1.5 billion that courts ordered him to pay for falsely describing one of the deadliest school shootings in history. United States is a scam. Families of the Sandy Hook victims have supported The Onion’s presentation.
After a two-day hearing in Houston, US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said he would not approve the sale, citing concerns about transparency in the auction. This paves the way for Jones to retain — at least for now — Infowars, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The Onion had planned to fire Jones and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody.
“We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision, but The Onion will continue to search for a solution that helps the families of Sandy Hook get a positive outcome for the horror they endured,” Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, said in a post on its website. “. Social media late Tuesday.
Lopez noted that there were problems — but no irregularities — in the auction process. He said he did not believe the auction participants acted in bad faith and that everyone “did their best and tried to play within the rules.”
However, Lopez said he did not want another auction and left it to the trustee who oversaw the auction to determine the next steps.
The Onion offered $1.75 million in cash and other incentives for Infowars assets at auction. First United American Companies, which operates a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements, made a $3.5 million offer.
The bids were a small portion of the money Jones was ordered to pay in defamation lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas brought by relatives of Sandy Hook shooting victims. The outcome of the auction “left a lot of money on the table” for families, Lopez said.
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“You have to scratch and scratch and get everything you can for them,” Lopez said.
Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families who sued Jones in Connecticut, said they were disappointed with the judge’s ruling.
“These families, who have already persevered through countless delays and barriers, remain steadfast and more determined than ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt companies accountable for the harm they have caused,” Mattei said in a statement. “This decision does not change the fact that Alex Jones will soon begin repaying his debt to these families and will continue to do so for as long as it takes.”
Jones, who did not attend the proceedings, returned to his show late Tuesday to celebrate the judge’s ruling, calling the auction “ridiculous” and “fraudulent.”
Although The Onion’s cash offer was lower than First United American’s, it also included a pledge by several Sandy Hook families to forfeit $750,000 in auction proceeds owed to them and give it to other creditors, providing the other creditors with more money. Of the ones they provided. They will get it under the First United American offer.
Alex Jones bankruptcy case
The sale of Infowars is part of a personal bankruptcy case Jones filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in defamation lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas brought by relatives of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
Jones repeatedly described the shooting that killed 20 children and six teachers as a hoax orchestrated by actors aimed at increasing gun control. Parents and children of several victims testified in court that they were traumatized by Jones’ plots and the threats of his followers.
Jones has since acknowledged that the Connecticut school shooting occurred.
Most of the proceeds from the Infowars sale, as well as many of Jones’ personal assets, will go to the Sandy Hook families. Some of the proceeds will go to Jones’ other creditors.
The auction supervisor defends his decision
Trustee 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 made a revised offer in recent days, but said he could not accept it because the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit objected.
Onion valued its offer, along with that of the Sandy Hook families, at $7 million because that amount was equal to the purchase price that would provide the same amount of money for other creditors.
In a lawsuit last month, Murray’s lawyers called First United American’s request to exclude The Onion’s bid “an improper attempt by a frustrated bidder to influence a fair and open election process.”
Jones’ attorney, Ben Brooks, noted that the rulings in the Sandy Hook lawsuit could be overturned in pending appeals and had Murray acknowledge that The Onion’s presentation of Sandy Hook families might collapse if that happened. This is because the percentage of auction proceeds they are entitled to could fall sharply and they would not receive the $750,000 from the sale to give to other creditors.
Infowars put up for auction
All equipment and other assets housed at the Infowars studio in Austin are up for sale, as well as the rights to social media accounts, websites, video archives and product trademarks. Jones uses the studio to broadcast his far-right, conspiracy theory-filled shows on the Infowars website, his social media platform X account, and radio stations. Several of Jones’ personal assets are also being sold.
Jones set up another studio, websites and social media accounts in case The Onion gets approval to buy Infowars and fire him. Jones said he could continue using Infowars’ platforms if the auction winner was friendly with him.
Jones appealed the money he was ordered to pay in the judgments, citing his free speech rights.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
