Court finds auction process flawed but denies Alex Jones’s claims of collusion
A U.S. bankruptcy judge has rejected the sale of Alex Jones’s Infowars website to parody news platform The Onion, citing flaws in the auction process. The decision comes as part of ongoing bankruptcy proceedings stemming from the right-wing conspiracy theorist’s legal and financial troubles.
After a two-day hearing, Judge Christopher Lopez ruled that the auction did not yield the best possible bids, though he dismissed Jones’s allegations of “collusion” during the process.
Auction Controversy
The parody platform The Onion had partnered with families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims to secure its bid for Infowars. The families won a $1.5 billion defamation lawsuit against Jones for spreading falsehoods about the 2012 tragedy, in which 20 children and six school staff were killed.
Judge Lopez acknowledged a “good-faith error” by the court-appointed trustee overseeing the auction. He criticized the trustee for not encouraging more competitive bidding between The Onion and another company linked to Jones’s supplement business.
“This should have been opened back up, and it should have been opened back up for everybody,” the judge stated.
Infowars and Alex Jones’s Decline
Jones, who rose to prominence in the 1990s as a fringe broadcaster in Austin, Texas, gained a massive following through Infowars by blending opinion, speculation, and misinformation. His financial troubles began after his broadcasts falsely claimed the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, leading to harassment of victims’ families by conspiracy believers.
Jones eventually admitted the killings were real but argued that his statements were protected by free speech laws. Nevertheless, courts ruled against him, holding him liable for defamation.
Fallout and Asset Liquidation
Jones declared bankruptcy in 2022 as the lawsuits progressed. In 2024, a judge ordered the liquidation of his personal assets, including a multimillion-dollar ranch, properties, cars, boats, and guns, valued at $8.6 million.
Infowars, which generates revenue primarily through the sale of vitamins and other products, has faced significant setbacks due to the lawsuits.
