The sale of Infowars, the controversial platform founded by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to satirical news outlet The Onion was thwarted by a U.S. bankruptcy judge who deemed the auction process flawed. After two days of hearings, Judge Christopher Lopez ruled that the bids received during the auction did not reflect the best possible offers and criticized how the auction was managed, specifically calling it a "good-faith error" by the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.
The Onion's bid for Infowars was backed by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, who previously won a monumental $1.5 billion defamation lawsuit against Jones for his claims surrounding the tragedy. Despite this backing, Judge Lopez noted that the auction should have been reopened for further bidding between The Onion and a competing firm associated with Jones’ supplemental business ventures.
In response, Jones expressed his satisfaction with the ruling, criticizing the sale process as "ridiculous" and "fraudulent." Meanwhile, Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, expressed disappointment in the decision but indicated that they would persist in their efforts to acquire Infowars.
Jones gained notoriety in the 1990s and built a massive audience through a combination of sensationalism and conspiracy theories, particularly following the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, where twenty children and six staff members were tragically killed. His broadcasts have perpetuated numerous false theories about the shooting, claiming it to be a "giant hoax," leading to harassment of victims’ families who were targeted by his fervent followers.
Despite eventually conceding that the Sandy Hook attack was real, Jones has maintained that his statements fall under the umbrella of free speech protections. However, he has faced legal repercussions for his earlier false claims, resulting in a bankruptcy declaration in 2022 as the Sandy Hook lawsuits progressed. Recently, a judge ordered the liquidation of Jones’s personal assets, estimated at approximately $8.6 million, as part of his financial unraveling linked to the defamation suits.
The Onion's bid for Infowars was backed by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, who previously won a monumental $1.5 billion defamation lawsuit against Jones for his claims surrounding the tragedy. Despite this backing, Judge Lopez noted that the auction should have been reopened for further bidding between The Onion and a competing firm associated with Jones’ supplemental business ventures.
In response, Jones expressed his satisfaction with the ruling, criticizing the sale process as "ridiculous" and "fraudulent." Meanwhile, Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, expressed disappointment in the decision but indicated that they would persist in their efforts to acquire Infowars.
Jones gained notoriety in the 1990s and built a massive audience through a combination of sensationalism and conspiracy theories, particularly following the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, where twenty children and six staff members were tragically killed. His broadcasts have perpetuated numerous false theories about the shooting, claiming it to be a "giant hoax," leading to harassment of victims’ families who were targeted by his fervent followers.
Despite eventually conceding that the Sandy Hook attack was real, Jones has maintained that his statements fall under the umbrella of free speech protections. However, he has faced legal repercussions for his earlier false claims, resulting in a bankruptcy declaration in 2022 as the Sandy Hook lawsuits progressed. Recently, a judge ordered the liquidation of Jones’s personal assets, estimated at approximately $8.6 million, as part of his financial unraveling linked to the defamation suits.
