Controversial media figure Alex Jones stands on the brink of losing his Infowars platform as a federal bankruptcy judge prepares to rule on whether to liquidate his assets. This decision could drastically reshape the landscape of alternative media and free speech debates in America.
The ruling stems from Jones’s highly publicized defamation cases related to his claims about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. In these cases, Jones was ordered to pay over $1.5 billion in damages to the families of the victims. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston will now decide if Jones’s assets should be sold off to satisfy these massive judgments.
Jones, known for his bombastic style and conspiratorial narratives, has repeatedly told his audience that Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, is on the verge of collapse due to the financial pressures of the bankruptcy. “I think it’s very accurate to say Infowars is a sinking ship,” Jones stated on his show. He has urged his followers to download videos from his online archive to preserve the content and directed them to a new website linked to his father’s company for purchasing dietary supplements sold on his program.
The liquidation would mean Jones loses ownership of Free Speech Systems, Infowars, its social media accounts, and all associated copyrights. Such a move would mark the end of an era for the media platform he built over 25 years. “Infowars will live on through all the great work we’ve done, all the reports we’ve filed, through you saving them and you sharing them,” Jones declared, expressing optimism about his personal future despite the looming crisis.
Jones filed for bankruptcy protection in 2022 after being hit with lawsuit judgments exceeding $1.4 billion in Connecticut and $49 million in Texas. The judgments were awarded to the families of the Sandy Hook victims, who argued that Jones’s claims inflicted severe emotional distress and harm. Lawyers representing these families have been pushing for the liquidation, arguing that it would allow them to enforce the judgments and prevent Jones from causing further harm.
“Doing so will enable the Connecticut families to enforce their $1.4 billion in judgments now and into the future while also depriving Jones of the ability to inflict mass harm as he has done for some 25 years,” said Chris Mattei, a lawyer for the families.
This potential ruling brings to the forefront critical issues surrounding accountability and the limits of free speech. Jones’s supporters argue that his prosecution represents a dangerous precedent for free speech and alternative media. Conversely, his detractors see the case as a necessary step in holding individuals accountable for spreading harmful misinformation.
UPDATE:
Victory: Infowars Wins Court Battle To Stay Open
Support https://t.co/c7Lo59AJZ5 pic.twitter.com/KURytpyMQh
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) June 15, 2024
From AP:
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 $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 threw out the attempted reorganization of his company, Austin, Texas-based Free Speech Systems. Many of the Sandy Hook families had asked that the company also be liquidated.
If Free Speech Systems’ bankruptcy reorganization had been converted to a liquidation, Jones could have lost ownership of the company, its social media accounts, the Infowars studio in Austin and all copyrights as the company’s possessions were sold. Jones smiled as the judge dismissed the company’s case.