Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has asked a U.S. judge to convert his bankruptcy into Chapter 7 liquidation, abandoning an effort to settle massive legal judgments related to his false claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Jones believes there is no reasonable prospect of a successful reorganization of his debts, which largely stem from defamation lawsuits totaling $1.5 billion. A Chapter 7 liquidation would require Jones to sell his assets under the oversight of a court-appointed trustee but would not allow him to evade paying the legal judgments.
Courts in Texas and Connecticut have ordered Jones to pay $1.5 billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. However, the judge overseeing Jones’ case ruled that most of the defamation verdicts cannot be discharged through bankruptcy due to being deemed “willful and malicious injury” caused by Jones. Despite this, Jones continues to claim that the families are attempting to shut down his broadcasts through false debts, while a spokesman for the Sandy Hook families declined to comment.
Jones has long propagated conspiracy theories regarding the Sandy Hook massacre, falsely claiming that it was staged with actors as part of a government plot to confiscate American citizens’ guns. The families of the victims have accused Jones of causing them years of threats and harassment due to his statements, which in turn increased traffic and sales on his Infowars website. Jones had proposed a bankruptcy settlement that would have paid the Sandy Hook families $55 million, but they unanimously rejected the offer and presented their own plan for liquidating Jones’ assets.
The suggestion made by the Sandy Hook families will be reviewed by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez at a court hearing on June 14. Considering that the bankruptcy process is expected to lead to the liquidation of Jones’ assets, he would prefer to undertake this in a more cost-effective and streamlined court procedure. Despite acknowledging the reality of the Sandy Hook tragedy, Jones appears to be struggling to handle the legal consequences of his false statements and has decided to pursue Chapter 7 liquidation as a means of handling his debts.
