A federal bankruptcy judge in Texas ruled Friday that Infowars founder Alex Jones must liquidate personal assets to pay families of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, rejecting Jones’ proposed bankruptcy plan for Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems.
Presiding Judge Christopher Lopez ordered Jones to liquidate his personal assets to pay $1.5 billion in damages owed to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Lopez rejected a bankruptcy plan by the founder of Infowars parent company Free Speech Systems. according to “The right decision is to dismiss this lawsuit,” Lopez said at the hearing, despite calls from Sandy Hook victims’ families for the company to be liquidated as well, according to CBS News. according to To CNN. (Related: Alex Jones offers new settlement offer to Sandy Hook shooter families)
“I guess it had to happen,” Lopez continued, according to the outlet. “I just wish I’d picked a better day.”
Infowars founder Alex Jones leaves Waterbury Superior Court during a hearing in Waterbury, Connecticut, on September 21, 2022. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
While reports are unclear about the fate of Jones’ companies, lawyers for the Sandy Hook families said a receiver was appointed while the case was being heard, giving them full control of Jones’ assets, including Infowars. according to One possible path forward is that Infowars and Free Speech Systems could continue to operate, and state courts in Texas and Connecticut, where the families won lawsuits, will decide how to recoup the $1.5 billion, CBS News reported.
“This is an attempt to take me off the air,” Jones said outside the courthouse on Friday, according to CNN. “I want you to understand that anything the corporate media has reported about me or anything I’ve said about the Sandy Hook shooting or anything I’ve said about this case has absolutely no bearing on reality.”
According to CBS News, Jones is already in the process of selling his Texas ranch, estimated at $2.8 million, his gun collection and other assets, and various other possessions will be sold, but he is expected to keep his primary residence in the Austin area.
“Today is a good day. Alex Jones has lost his ownership of Infowars, which he used for years to attack Connecticut families and many others,” Chris Mattei, an attorney for Sandy Hook families, told CNN. “The court has authorized us to immediately seek recovery of all Infowars assets, and that is exactly what we intend to do.”
