Alex Jones' personal assets to be sold to pay US$1.5B Sandy Hook debt. Company bankruptcy is dismissed
CTV
A federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' personal assets but dismissed his company's separate bankruptcy case, leaving the future of his Infowars media platform uncertain as he owes US$1.5 billion for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' personal assets but dismissed his company's separate bankruptcy case, leaving the future of his Infowars media platform uncertain as he owes US$1.5 billion for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
Judge Christopher Lopez approved converting Jones' proposed personal bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation. But Lopez threw out the case of his company, Austin, Texas-based Free Speech Systems, after failed attempts by Jones to reach an agreement with Sandy Hook families on his proposals to reorganize and keep operating the company while paying them millions of dollars.
A trustee appointed Friday in Jones' personal bankruptcy case to oversee the liquidation now has control over his assets, including Infowars, according to lawyers for Sandy Hook families.
Dismissal of Free Speech Systems' case means the families can now move immediately to collect on the US$1.5 billion in state courts in Texas and Connecticut where they won defamation lawsuits against Jones and the company. It's possible Infowars will continuing operating during the collection efforts, which could include selling off the company's assets.
Jones, who smiled as the judge dismissed the company's case, called in to Infowars after the court hearing and predicted more battles in the state courts. "The bizarre political attempts to hijack the operation have failed," he said, and added that he would find another way to broadcast his shows if he loses Infowars.
Outside the courthouse, he railed about the families not accepting his reorganization proposals and alleged that they were being used by political groups in a conspiracy to silence him. He said he would try to maximize revenues at Infowars to make money for creditors and then wind down the business in a way that takes care of its 44 employees.
"This is about taking me off the air," Jones said. "Understand that what you've seen in the corporate media about me, or what I said about Sandy Hook or any of this, has no bearing on reality."