Judge Orders Sale of Alex Jones’ Personal Assets to Pay Sandy Hook Victims $1.5 Billion, but Infowars Still Operates

A federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets to help him pay off the $1.5 billion he owes the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for defamation.

Later that day, a judge dismissed the bankruptcy petition of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of the Jones Infowars brand, saying the decision would allow the families to immediately seek relief from the company in state court.

“I was never asked today to make a decision to close the program or not. It was never going to happen today, one way or another,” said Judge Christopher Lopez. “This is one of the more difficult cases I’ve ever had. When you look at it, I think the creditors are doing a better job of pursuing their rights in state court.

This decision allows Infowars to continue operating for now, although Free Speech Systems and its assets could go bankrupt later. The families suggested they could go back to the bankruptcy court and ask for the company to be liquidated as part of the sale of Jones’ personal assets because he owns Free Speech Systems.

“(D)ismissal allows creditors to immediately pursue available remedies in state court rather than having to wait for a new, drawn-out Chapter 7 bankruptcy,” one family group wrote in court documents.

Two years ago, the Sandy Hook families sued Jones for defamation after he falsely claimed the 2012 shooting that killed 26 people was a hoax. Jones, a right-wing conspiracy theorist, now owes the families $1.5 billion after losing two lawsuits. The right-wing media personality has already sold $2.8 million in real estate and other assets as punishment.

Despite the payment order, the Sandy Hook families have yet to receive a penny from Jones. Today’s liquidation order could change that.

Attorney Chris Mattei, representing the Sandy Hook families, said the liquidation is necessary to enforce the judgment against Jones.

“This will allow Connecticut families to enforce their $1.4 billion judgments now and in the future, while also depriving Jones of the opportunity to inflict mass harm, which he did for approximately 25 years,” Mattei said, according to the AP.

Jones asked a judge last week to liquidate after initially proposing to reorganize his assets. A week earlier, the Sandy Hook families filed an emergency motion asking the judge to force him to liquidate his assets.

The families previously said Free Speech Systems had “no prospect” of reorganization and the court had “showed no hope of beginning to resolve” their legal claims.

On the Infowars website, Jones told his audience that the company was close to closing due to the ruling. Jones also conducted “emergency broadcasts” on his online and radio show this month, claiming the federal government was trying to get his show on the air and asking supporters to form a human chain around his studio in Austin, Texas.

Meanwhile, the families filed a separate case against Jones, alleging he misappropriated and hid millions of dollars to avoid payment. Jones denied any wrongdoing.