Alex Jones’ media platform, Infowars, and its assets will be auctioned off this fall to help pay more than $1 billion he owes to the families of victims from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The decision, expected to be approved by a federal judge, comes after the defamation and emotional distress lawsuits that found Jones responsible for promoting false conspiracy theories about the 2012 tragedy.
During a court hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston announced plans to approve the auctions, which will begin in November. Lopez must first revise a previous order to confirm that the trustee overseeing Jones’ personal bankruptcy case has control over all of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, which Jones wholly owns.
Despite the impending loss of his company, Jones remains defiant, stating that he will continue his talk shows through alternative channels, possibly launching a new website or using his personal social media accounts. He has even hinted that his supporters could purchase Infowars’ assets, allowing him to continue hosting under the Infowars brand from Austin, Texas.
“It’s clear that Free Speech Systems’ assets, like the website and equipment, can be sold,” Jones said recently. “And there are plenty of patriot buyers who could keep the operation going.”
Jones and his company both filed for bankruptcy in 2022, the same year he lost nearly $1.5 billion in defamation lawsuits filed by families of the Sandy Hook victims. He had repeatedly claimed that the 2012 school shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 20 first-graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax aimed at promoting gun control.
Throughout two civil trials in Texas and Connecticut, grieving families testified about the trauma they endured as Jones’ conspiracy theories spread. They recounted harassment and threats from his followers, with some confronting them in person, claiming the shooting never occurred and their children never existed. One parent even reported receiving threats to dig up his child’s grave.
While Jones is appealing the civil verdicts on free speech grounds, he has since acknowledged that the shooting did happen.
In June, Lopez converted Jones’ personal bankruptcy case into a liquidation, meaning most of his assets, excluding his primary home and exempt property, will be sold to pay creditors. That same day, Lopez dismissed Free Speech Systems’ bankruptcy case after negotiations between Jones and the Sandy Hook families failed to yield an agreement.
The upcoming auction will begin on November 13, with Infowars’ intellectual property—trademarks, copyrights, social media accounts, and websites—up for sale. However, Jones’ personal social media accounts, including his account on X (formerly Twitter), with 2.8 million followers, are not part of the sale. The trustee overseeing Jones’ bankruptcy case, Christopher Murray, may soon request permission to liquidate Jones’ personal social media assets as well, a move opposed by Jones’ legal team, potentially leading to further court battles.
The families of Sandy Hook victims, who won the Connecticut lawsuit, are pushing for Jones to lose access to his social media platforms and believe they should receive a portion of his future earnings to help settle his more than $1 billion debt.
Christopher Mattei, a lawyer representing the Sandy Hook families, stated that approving the auction order would be a “significant step forward” in holding Jones accountable for his harmful lies.
“Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built,” Mattei said on Tuesday. “This brings the families closer to justice.”
The remaining physical assets of Infowars, such as computers, cameras, and studio equipment, are set to be auctioned separately on December 10.
Over the years, Jones has profited millions through sales of dietary supplements, apparel, and survival gear promoted on his shows, which air on the internet and various radio stations. It remains unclear how much money the liquidation will raise and how much the Sandy Hook families will ultimately receive.
According to court filings, Jones has about $9 million in personal assets, while Free Speech Systems has $6 million in cash and approximately $1.2 million in inventory. Lawyers, financial experts, and others involved in Jones’ bankruptcy cases, who have accumulated millions in fees, are expected to be paid first.
A key issue still to be resolved in the bankruptcy case is whether Free Speech Systems owes more than $50 million to another Jones-owned company, PQPR Holdings Limited. The company claims Free Speech Systems failed to pay for dietary supplements sold on the Infowars website. Sandy Hook lawyers argue that this debt is fabricated. If found valid, it could reduce the amount the families receive from the liquidation.
