Topline
Alex Jones’ inflammatory Infowars franchise will be auctioned off to help pay the nearly $1.5 billion Jones owes the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which he spread false conspiracy theories on, a judge ruled Tuesday—as officials consider the fate of his remaining assets.
Jones filed for bankruptcy after being ordered to pay the families $1.5 billion in damages.
Key Facts
A Texas jury ordered Jones to pay the families of two Sandy Hook victims $49.3 million in damages in August 2022, two months before a Connecticut jury awarded $965 million to 15 plaintiffs, including an FBI agent who responded to the shooting, before later adding $473 million in attorney fees.
Jones had said in April 2022 he was “totally maxed out” financially, after three of his companies—Infowars, Prison Planet TV and IW Health—filed for bankruptcy, according to the Texas Tribune.
Jones filed for bankruptcy in December 2022, estimating his assets to be worth between $1 million and $10 million, though his latest financial statements indicate he has at least $9 million in assets, and forensic economist Bernard Pettingill Jr.—who testified during one of Jones’ defamation trials—estimated Jones is worth up to $270 million.
Forbes found five Texas-based homes linked to Jones collectively worth $7.5 million in 2022, though ownership for one of those properties—valued at $3.5 million—was reportedly transferred to his wife Erika Wulff.
In November, the Sandy Hook families proposed Jones settle his debt by paying a minimum of $85 million over 10 years, though Jones proposed paying a minimum $55 million over 10 years, in addition to all of his company’s disposable income, half of Jones’ income for five years and a quarter of his income for an additional five years.
The Sandy Hook families turned down Jones’ proposal and requested Jones and his company liquidate their assets to pay his debt, and a trustee was approved to oversee and sell Jones’ assets in June after the families claimed Jones was diverting his assets to fund future business operations, according to a filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Free Speech Systems—the parent company—filed for bankruptcy in July 2022 after reporting $79 million in debt and $4 million in cash on hand in April, though the company’s subsequent request to liquidate their assets was denied.
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News Peg
Judge Christopher Lopez approved auctions for Infowars and its assets in a ruling Tuesday, despite objections from Jones’ attorneys, according to court filings. The auctions will include Infowars’ website, social media accounts, broadcasting equipment and trademarks owned by Free Speech Systems. Christopher Murray, the trustee overseeing Jones’ assets, reportedly said in court he would consider seeking court approval to sell Jones’ personal social media accounts and his other intellectual property.
What To Watch For
An auction for Infowars’ intellectual property is scheduled for Nov. 13.
Can Alex Jones Continue To Broadcast?
Jones has indicated he would continue broadcasting his show through other means, including on his social media account or another, NBC News reported. He also suggested Infowars could be purchased by his supporters, who would allow him to continue hosting the show.
What Did Alex Jones Say About Sandy Hook?
Jones shared conspiracy theories hours after the Sandy Hook shooting took place—saying he believed “this is staged”—though he continued spreading false claims for years. He claimed the U.S. government “stages these things to get our guns,” saying he had warned about “getting ready for big mass shootings” for months, “and then magically, it happens.” He said parents whose children died in the shooting would be laughing, “and then they walk over to the camera and go ‘boo hoo hoo,’” later claiming there were “photos of kids that are still alive they said died.”
Key Background
In 2012, 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, were killed in a shooting that Jones claimed on his InfoWars show to be a hoax. Jones has said he would be unable to pay the nearly $1.5 billion in damages to the families of Sandy Hook victims, saying the rulings were “hilarious.”
