In a significant legal turnaround, right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has agreed to liquidate his personal assets, a decision that aligns with the demands of the families of Sandy Hook victims, to whom he owes over $1.5 billion in damages, via Reuters. This development marks a potential end to Jones’ ownership of Infowars, the controversial media empire he established in the late 1990s, which has been central to spreading numerous conspiracy theories.
On Thursday, under increasing legal pressure and after prolonged resistance, Jones consented to convert his personal bankruptcy into a Chapter 7 liquidation. “There was no reasonable prospect for a successful reorganization,” stated Jones’ lawyers in a court filing, acknowledging that continuing the existing legal strategy would only accumulate more costs, told NBC News.
Avi Moshenberg, a lawyer representing some of the Sandy Hook families, elaborated on the implications of this move, noting that it would lead to the sale of Jones’ stake in Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars. “Converting the case to Chapter 7 will hasten the end of these bankruptcies and facilitate the liquidation of Jones’s assets, which is the same reason we have moved to convert his company’s case to Chapter 7,” added Chris Mattei, another attorney for the Sandy Hook families.
Jones has been distanced from the direct management of Infowars for some time now, as Free Speech Systems has also been under bankruptcy protection, with its operations overseen by a court-appointed restructuring officer. The future of Free Speech Systems will be clearer after a court hearing scheduled for the following Friday.
Despite the upcoming liquidation of his assets, including his shares in Infowars, the platform itself may not necessarily cease to operate. Depending on the proceedings, the court-appointed trustee could potentially sell the business to a new owner, ensuring its continuity under different management.
This move by Jones does not signify an immediate end to the controversies or conspiracy theories propagated by Infowars, but it does signal a significant shift in the legal landscape surrounding one of the most polarizing figures in American media. As the process unfolds, the Sandy Hook families may come closer to receiving the compensation awarded by the courts in 2022, following judgments in Connecticut and Texas for defamation and emotional distress caused by Jones’ false claims about the 2012 school massacre.