Infowars, a conspiracy website founded by Alex Jones, is set to undergo another hearing in a Houston courtroom on Monday. The hearing will determine the fate of the website and its assets after Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected an auction that would have given control of Infowars to satirical news site The Onion.
The auction was held last month, but Lopez ruled that it wasn’t conducted in a way that maximized the sale of Infowars. Jones had filed for personal bankruptcy in 2022 due to his repeated claims about the Sandy Hook school shooting, which resulted in judgments against him worth over $1.4 billion.
As part of his bankruptcy plan, Jones planned to sell various assets to pay off his debts, including the Infowars website and intellectual property, as well as a 127-acre ranch and gun collection. The auction included two bidders: First United American Companies, which offered $3.5 million in cash, and The Onion, which bid $1.75 million but also claimed it had an agreement with some Sandy Hook families to forgive debts.
Lopez’s decision suggests that the auction could have raised more money if it was conducted differently. However, he did not order a new auction or specify how Infowars’ bankruptcy should proceed.
The hearing on Monday is expected to clarify what happens next in the sale of Infowars and its assets. The Onion has vowed to continue its efforts to buy Infowars, with plans to turn it into a parody of itself.
Source: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/infowars-sale-january-court-alex-jones-20026723.php