In a significant move that highlights the ongoing battle over free speech and accountability, a U.S. bankruptcy court trustee has announced plans to shut down conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars media platform. This action aims to liquidate its assets to address the staggering $1.5 billion in lawsuit judgments Jones owes for repeatedly claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
Trustee Christopher Murray, in an “emergency” motion filed Sunday in Houston, revealed his intention to “conduct an orderly wind-down” of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems (FSS), and “liquidate its inventory.” This marks the first public acknowledgment of a planned shutdown.
Murray, appointed by a federal judge to oversee Jones’ personal bankruptcy case, did not specify a timeline for the liquidation. However, Jones has been vocal on his web and radio shows, stating that he expects Infowars to operate for a few more months before it is inevitably shut down due to the bankruptcy proceedings. Despite this, Jones has vowed to continue his broadcasts through other means, possibly leveraging social media or selling the company to continue his shows as an employee.
In his motion, Murray also requested U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez to place an immediate hold on the Sandy Hook families’ efforts to collect the judgments. He argued that these efforts would interfere with his plans to close FSS and sell its assets, directing much of the proceeds to the families. This request comes after lawyers for Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of one of the 20 children killed in the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, asked a Texas state judge to order FSS to turn over certain assets and garnish its accounts. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble approved this request, prompting Murray’s emergency motion.
Heslin and Lewis, whose six-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, was killed, won a $50 million verdict in Texas against Jones for his defamatory claims. Additionally, in a separate Connecticut lawsuit, Jones was ordered to pay over $1.4 billion to other Sandy Hook families for defamation and emotional distress.
Murray emphasized the potential chaos and detriment to his duties if an unregulated seizure of FSS’s assets occurred, describing it as a “value-destructive money grab.” He stressed the need for an orderly process, free from immediate disruptions, to ensure a fair distribution of assets.
The trustee’s new motion has received support from Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit. Mattei expressed disappointment with the earlier Texas motion by Heslin and Lewis, fearing it could undermine an equitable distribution of Jones’ assets to all affected families.
Despite the legal battles, the families have yet to receive any compensation from Jones. With Jones’ personal assets estimated at around $9 million and Free Speech Systems holding approximately $6 million in cash and $1.2 million in inventory, it appears unlikely that the families will receive the full amount awarded in the judgments.
On June 14, Judge Lopez approved converting Jones’ personal bankruptcy case from a reorganization to a liquidation at Jones’ request. This decision followed the dismissal of FSS’s reorganization bankruptcy case after failure to reach a consensus on a final plan. These bankruptcy cases had temporarily halted the families’ efforts to collect the $1.5 billion under federal law. With the dismissal, the families must now pursue their claims through state courts in Texas and Connecticut.
Jones and Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy protection in 2022, the same year relatives of many Sandy Hook victims won their lawsuits. The families recounted being harassed and threatened by Jones’ followers, who were influenced by his claims that the shooting was staged. Some followers even confronted grieving families, with one parent receiving threats to exhume his child’s grave.
Jones is appealing the state court judgments and has since acknowledged that the Sandy Hook shooting did occur. He maintains that his statements were protected under free speech rights.
As the legal and financial turmoil surrounding Alex Jones and Infowars continues, this latest development underscores the complex interplay between free speech and the responsibility that comes with it. The impending shutdown of Infowars and liquidation of its assets signal a critical juncture for Jones, his media empire, and the ongoing quest for justice by the Sandy Hook families.
