A US bankruptcy judge has blocked parody news site The Onion from buying conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' website Infowars, ruling that a bankruptcy auction did not produce the best bids.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected Jones' claims that the auction was marred by “collusion,” at the end of a two-day hearing in Houston.
But he said the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee who ran the auction made a “good faith mistake” by quickly asking for final bids for Infowars instead of encouraging more bids. back and forth between the Onion and a company affiliated with the Jones annex – selling businesses, which was second.
“This should be reopened, and it should be reopened for everyone,” Lopez said. “Clearly the trustee left the potential for a lot of money on it. the table.”
Lopez said neither offer had enough money for Infowars given the extent of Jones' debts, and asked the trustee to work to resolve some of the disputes between the creditors before making a new attempt. has sold Infowars.
The Onion was named the winning bidder for Infowars in an auction in November, but Jones and First American United Companies, the company affiliated with Jones, had argued that the sales process was tainted. because the Onion was getting too much credit for getting support from winning families. major court decisions against Jones.
Jones declared bankruptcy in 2022 and was forced to liquidate his assets to pay more than $1.3 billion in legal judgments to the families of 20 students and six staff members who were fatally shot. in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
A mass shooting was organized
Courts in Connecticut and Texas have ruled that Jones defamed the families by making multiple false claims that the mass shooting was staged as part of a government conspiracy to take guns away from Americans.
Jones' attorney, Ben Broocks, told Lopez at Monday's hearing that the Onion put up only half as much money as the $3.5 million offer from First American United Companies, but he added to his bid with “hazy” calculations is a mirror”.
The Connecticut-based Sandy Hook families, who are Jones' largest creditors, matched the Onion's offer by agreeing to forgo some repayment from the sale of Infowars so that creditors could else more money. That discount led a bankruptcy trustee to value Onion's offer at a total of $7 million.
Chris Mattei, a Connecticut-based attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said the decision was disappointing, but did not change the fact that Jones owes his clients large sums of money.
“The families, who have already persevered through countless delays and roadblocks, remain steadfast and determined as ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt businesses accountable for the harm he has caused, “said Mattei.
Jones celebrated the verdict on Infowars.
The Onion's satirical news site Infowars acquired conspiracy theorist Alex Jones at a bankruptcy auction. The appeal was supported by the families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting which Jones called a “hoax”.
The Onion's CEO, Ben Collins, said the company was deeply disappointed in Lopez's decision, but remains interested in buying Infowars and making “the Internet better and better.” funny”.
The Onion planned to relaunch Infowars in 2025 as a parody site full of “much more outrageous disinformation” than before.
Christopher Murray, the court trustee in charge of selling Jones' assets, testified Tuesday that the auction was fair, and First American United Companies only complained about the process after learning its bid was not selected. .
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