Families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are calling for a federal bankruptcy judge to appoint a trustee to oversee the liquidation of assets belonging to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The families accuse Jones, the founder of Infowars, of attempting to divert assets from his media company in order to fund his future business operations. Jones has faced multiple defamation verdicts for suggesting that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, resulting in $1.5 billion in damages awarded to the families who sued him in Connecticut and Texas.
Jones has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a move criticized by plaintiffs’ lawyers as an attempt to avoid paying the debt he owes to the families of the Sandy Hook victims. Despite claiming to have about $9 million in personal assets, Jones cannot use bankruptcy to erase the legal judgments against him. His attorneys have stated that there is no feasible way to reorganize his debts, and are seeking approval from a judge to convert the bankruptcy filing to Chapter 7 liquidation.
The families of the Sandy Hook victims support the liquidation of both Jones’ personal assets and Free Speech Systems, his media company, as they seek to hold him accountable for fulfilling his financial obligations to them. Jones has made comments on his show indicating that Infowars may be ending as his audience knows it in the near future, potentially impacting his ability to generate income from the sale of nutritional supplements, which he has encouraged his listeners to continue purchasing.
The families have expressed concerns about Jones’ behavior, claiming that he is trying to shift assets to an entity owned by his father, Dr. Jones, while utilizing the Infowars brand name and infrastructure. They argue that this is a deliberate effort to destroy the value of assets that could be used to pay off the debts owed to the victims’ families. Jones has made statements blaming the “corporate media” for misrepresenting him, but has not provided specifics on how they have done so during his trial in Texas in 2022.
A lawyer representing the families has emphasized the importance of holding Jones accountable for his actions and ensuring that he fulfills his financial obligations. The families are seeking meaningful accountability after years of incendiary rhetoric from Jones, who has faced defamation lawsuits for his claims about the Sandy Hook massacre. The bankruptcy judge overseeing the case is expected to hear arguments regarding the liquidation of Jones’ assets and Free Speech Systems in the coming days.
