A Texas judge ordered the liquidation of Infowars' assets to help pay off more than $1 billion that is owed to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of Austin can potentially shut conspiracy theorist Alex Jones out of his own studio in the next few days. The development also seems to have restarted an effort by The Onion satirical publication to purchase Infowars and its assets so it could turn the platform into a parody site.
Selling Off Infowars' Assets
Jones, on Thursday, called the Texas court order improper and said he will continue to broadcast if he is locked out of Infowars. The conspiracy theorist added that he has another studio already set up in case the court rules against him.
The conspiracy theorist said that people want to hear this show, saying that the courts can harass him forever, but they will not get him off the air. Jones added that he expects Infowards to be sold to someone or some entity that will keep it on the air, according to the Independent.
The development comes as the Sandy Hook families won nearly $1.5 billion in judgments in 2022 against the conspiracy theorist and Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems. This came after lawsuits that were filed in Connecticut and Texas that accused Jones of defamation and inflicting emotional distress.
The families sued Jones over repeated comments he made, saying that the 2012 school shooting in Connecticut, which killed 20 first-grade students and six educators, was a hoax. The relatives of the victims testified in court about being terrorized by the conspiracy theorist's supporters.
Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre
The judge's ruling orders Infowars' assets to be handed over to a court-ordered receiver, who will take possession of Free Speech Systems and seize the company's physical equipment. These include mixing boards and microphones as well as intellectual property, the New York Times reported.
One of the lawyers for the Sandy Hook families, Christopher Mattei, said that the judge's order brings them closer to achieving their goal of holding Jones accountable for years of harm. On the other hand, a lawyer for the conspiracy theorist did not comment on the situation.
The order to sell Infowars' assets comes after, in December last year, a federal bankruptcy judge halted the sale, citing concerns with the auction process and disputes over the bids. Later, the judge said that families should pursue what they are owed in state court instead of the federal level, as per CNN.
