Alex Jones’ company Infowars and its assets will be auctioned off in November as Jones seeks to pay off the nearly $1.5 billion he owes to the families of Sandy Hook victims, about whom he spent years spreading conspiracy theories.
During a hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said he will soon approve an order to auction Infowars’ intellectual property on Nov. 13, including its websites, social media accounts, trademarks and copyrighted material, The Associated Press reported. The company’s other assets, including computers and studio equipment, are expected to be auctioned on Dec. 10.
The auctions would mark the demise of Jones’ media platform after a legal saga that culminated in 2022 with the Sandy Hook families winning nearly $1.5 billion in judgments against him in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas. Jones and Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company, subsequently filed for bankruptcy protection. Lopez liquidated Jones’ personal assets and dismissed Free Speech System’s bankruptcy case in June.
Jones was one of the most prominent conspiracy theorists spreading lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. For years, he accused the families of being actors and falsely claimed that the shooting, which killed 20 children and six teachers, was a “hoax” and part of a plot to take away people’s guns. The victims’ families have said Jones’ lies tormented them and led to a flood of intimidation and threats that continued for years. Jones later testified that he believes the shooting was “100 percent real.”
It’s unlikely the proceeds from the two auctions will come close to the amount Jones owes the Sandy Hook families. Still, Christopher Mattei, an attorney representing the families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said the auctions would be “an important step forward.”
“Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built,” Mattei said in a statement. “This brings the families closer to their goal of holding him accountable for the harm he caused.”
Meanwhile, Jones has said he wants to continue hosting talk shows on new platforms. As The Associated Press reported, he has also suggested that his supporters could buy all of Infowars’ assets, allowing him to continue hosting his show with the company.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
