Judge blocks Sandy Hook families' settlement in Alex Jones' bankruptcy: ‘I can't do that'
The decision complicates a proposed sale of Jones' Infowars platform, and could spur divisions between families who sued Jones and won nearly $1.3 billion in Connecticut court cases and those who won $50 million in Texas courts.
The two groups of families had proposed a settlement that would guarantee the Texas families a 25% share of Jones' future payments made to the Sandy Hook families, with the Connecticut families taking 75%.
US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected the settlement at a hearing in Houston, saying the families were asking him to also divide up the assets of Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, despite the fact that the company had been dismissed from bankruptcy last year.
'I can't do that,' Lopez said. 'That case is closed.'
Courts in Connecticut and Texas, where some of the families filed their lawsuits, have ruled Jones defamed the families by making repeated false claims that the school shooting, which killed 20 students and six staff members in Newton, Conn., was staged as part of a government plot to take guns away from Americans.
The legal judgments drove Jones and Free Speech Systems into bankruptcy in 2022, and Lopez has appointed a bankruptcy trustee to sell Jones' assets.
Lopez has allowed Free Speech Systems and Infowars to be sold in Jones' ongoing personal bankruptcy. But he said he preferred a 'pure sale' of the company's equity, which is owned by Jones, rather than allowing Infowars' assets to be broken up and sold separately.
The bankruptcy trustee, Christopher Murray, had previously sought to sell Infowars to the parody news site the Onion, through a bid that was backed by the Connecticut families. Lopez shot down that sale in January, saying that Murray 'left money on the table' in order to win the Sandy Hook families' support.
'We're not doing that anymore, I don't trust the process,' Lopez said. 'Go sell the equity.'
The families' attorneys had said the agreement would smooth the way for a sale of Jones' assets, including Infowars, after their previous disagreements over how to pursue Jones' assets. In the past, the Texas-based families focused on taking more cash from Jones, while the Connecticut-based families prioritized the shutdown of Jones' Infowars company.
Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Connecticut families, said they remain determined to 'enforce every penny of judgments against Alex Jones.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas Republicans approve Trump-backed congressional map to protect party's majority
Texas legislators on Wednesday approved a new state congressional map drawn at the behest of President Donald Trump to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections, after dozens of Democratic lawmakers ended a two-week walkout that had temporarily blocked passage. Republican legislators, who have dominated Texas politics for over two decades, have undertaken a rare mid-decade redistricting to help Trump improve their party's odds of preserving its narrow U.S. House of Representatives majority amid political headwinds. Legislators approved the new map in an 88-52 vote along party lines; under the body's procedural rules, final passage of the bill will require another vote that was expected later Wednesday. The map, which will have to be reconciled with the state Senate's version, has triggered a national redistricting war, with governors of both parties threatening to initiate similar efforts in other states. Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom is advancing an effort to redraw his state's map to flip five Republican seats. Democratic-controlled California is the nation's most populous state while Republican-led Texas is the second most populous. The Texas map would shift conservative voters into districts currently held by Democrats and combine some districts that Democrats hold. Other Republican states -- including Ohio, Florida, Indiana and Missouri -- are moving forward with or considering their own redistricting efforts, as are Democratic states such as Maryland and Illinois. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the U.S. Census to account for population changes, and mid-decade redistricting has historically been unusual. Whenever the maps are drawn, in many states, lawmakers manipulate the lines to favor their party over the opposition, a practice known as gerrymandering. Texas Democrats on Wednesday raised multiple objections to and questions about the measure. Representative John Bucy, a Democrat, said from the House floor before passage of the bill that the new maps were clearly intended to dilute the voting power of Black, Latino and Asian voters, and that his Republican colleagues bending to the will of Trump was deeply worrying. "This is not democracy, this is authoritarianism in real time," Bucy said. "This is Donald Trump's map. It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows the voters are rejecting his agenda." Republicans argued the map was created to improve political performance and would increase majority Hispanic districts. Bucy was among the Democrats who fled the state earlier this month to deny the Texas House a quorum. In response, Republicans undertook extraordinary measures to try to force the Democrats home, including filing lawsuits to remove them from office and issuing arrest warrants. The walkout ended when Democrats voluntarily returned on Monday, saying they had accomplished their goals of blocking a vote during a first special legislative session and persuading Democrats in other states to take retaliatory steps. Republican House leadership assigned state law enforcement officers to monitor Democrats to ensure they would not leave the state again. One Democratic representative, Nicole Collier, slept in the Capitol building on Monday night rather than accept a police escort. Republicans, including Trump, have openly acknowledged that the new map is aimed at increasing their political power. The party currently controls 25 of the state's 38 districts under a Republican-drawn map that was passed four years ago. Democrats and civil rights groups have said the new map dilutes the voting power of racial minorities in violation of federal law and have vowed to sue. Nationally, Republicans captured the 435-seat U.S. House in 2024 by only three seats. The party of the president historically loses House seats in the first midterm election, and Trump's approval ratings have sagged since he took office in January. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas GOP passes Texas redistricting map to boost Trump in 2026
Business Journals
24 minutes ago
- Business Journals
Stock exchange rivalry heats up as NYSE hosts closing bell ceremony at AT&T Stadium
The New York Stock Exchange celebrated the launch of its Dallas-based arm, NYSE Texas, by hosting the closing bell ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Read on to learn more about the event, including what Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, AT&T Inc. CEO John Stankey and others had to say.
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Gov. Newsom reacts to Bed Bath & Beyond's refusal to open stores in California
LOS ANGELES – Bed Bath & Beyond announced that its comeback will not include locations in the largest state in the nation. Marcus Lemonis, Bed Bath & Beyond Executive Chairman said in a statement issued Aug. 20 that the company will not open a brick-and-mortar location in California. Lemonis said that the state, home to over 39 million people, will be served solely through delivery. "We're taking a stand because it's time for common sense," the statement reads. "Businesses deserve the chance to succeed. Employees deserve jobs that last. And customers deserve fair prices. California's system delivers the opposite." The company is attempting to make a comeback after filing for bankruptcy and closing all its stores in 2023. It reopened its first Bed Bath & Beyond Home near Nashville on Aug. 8. "After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed," California Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office said in response to the announcement on X. "We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store." Lemonis replied to a post from the governor's personal X account proposing pro-business reforms for the state. "We will target opening 300 small to midsize neighborhood stores thru our Kirklands investment," Lemonsis wrote. "You are a smart man and I know the post below is out of frustration." California critic claims Bed Bath & Beyond decision 'isn't about politics' In the statement, Lemonis claimed that the decision "isn't about politics." However, the statement repeatedly attacked regulatory policies passed in the state. "California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses in America," Lemonis wrote. In a Feb. 5 appearance on Fox Business, Lemonis called a California law requiring corporations with revenues of more than $1 billion to report their greenhouse gas emissions a "crazy law." Lemonis also fought San Joaquin County when Camping World, for whom Lemonis serves as CEO, installed an oversized flag pole to fly an American flag without proper permits – county officials told the Los Angeles Times in 2024. "Camping World has a habit of installing flagpoles that are quite large in size, but they do it without pulling permits," San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti told the Times. "This is a self-inflicted issue, but as a business owner and someone who understands marketing, it's brilliant." The Times reported that the flag in front of the location in the Northern California town of French Camp had been taken down from the 130-foot flagpole during the permitting process for an undisclosed amount of time. Lemonis told Sacramento Fox affiliate FOX40 that he ordered the store to fly the flag again in August 2024 saying, "If we felt like we were putting people in danger or causing any issues with air traffic, which would absolutely not be okay, then I wouldn't do it."
