Latest news with #FreeSpeechSystems
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Infowars Is Back on the Market
The Onion could finally get its hands on Alex Jones' far-right media empire Infowars. On Wednesday, a Texas state judge ordered Infowars' parent company's, Free Speech System, assets be handed over to a court-appointed receiver, who will oversee their sale. The proceeds will be used to pay Jones' massive debt to the families of the children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The families won a $1.3 billion defamation case in 2022 against Jones, who spent years peddling false claims that the massacre was staged and that the grieving parents were crisis actors. His followers harassed the families for years. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble granted the receiver broad authority over Free Speech Systems' assets including the power to change locks on their properties, access storage units and safe-deposit boxes, and take control of their websites. 'Today's order brings us a critically important step closer to achieving the goal that the Connecticut families have spent years fighting for: holding Alex Jones accountable for years of harm,' said Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Connecticut families, in an emailed statement to Gizmodo. 'The receiver is now authorized to liquidate his business assets, and we look forward to the corrupt media empire that Jones built finally being dismantled.' Mark Bankston, an attorney for the families based in Texas, told NPR, 'The families are relieved that the court has placed Infowars' parent company into receivership, a step that will finally hold Alex Jones accountable for his monstrously cruel harassment.'' Infowars did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Gizmodo. Last December, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Texas blocked the proposed sale of Infowars to The Onion. He ruled that the bankruptcy auction process was flawed and that the satirical media company's bid was too low. The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, had offered $1.75 million in cash for the site, a bid supported by the families of the Sandy Hook victims. Bidding against them was First United American Companies, a group affiliated with Jones that helps manage his dietary supplements business, which submitted a $3.5 million offer. The Onion's original plan was to relaunch Infowars this year as a parody of itself. 'The Onion's goal with the acquisition is to end Infowars' relentless stream of disinformation used to sell supplements and replace it with The Onion's own relentless stream of humor for good,' the company said in a press release before the sale was blocked. With the state court's latest ruling, The Onion's chance to snatch up Infowars is back on the table. The company didn't immediately respond to Gizmodo's request for comment.
CNN
4 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Alex Jones' Infowars will go up for sale yet again, judge rules
Crime Gun violenceFacebookTweetLink Follow Alex Jones' far-right platform Infowars can be sold once again to help pay the more than $1 billion he owes the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, a Texas district court judge has ordered. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said in a Wednesday hearing that Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, will be turned over to a court-appointed receiver, who will be responsible for selling the assets and using the proceeds to pay Jones' debts to the Sandy Hook families. The order paves the way for The Onion to revive its bid for the conspiracy-driven outlet and its assets. Last year, the satirical news outlet had initially won a court-mandated auction for Infowars' parent company, backed by the Sandy Hook families. However, in December, a federal bankruptcy judge halted the sale, citing concerns with the auction process and disputes over the bids. The judge later said the families should pursue what they're owed in state court rather than at the federal level. Jones was found guilty in 2022 for defamation after repeatedly claiming on-air that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, in which six adults and 20 children were killed, was a 'hoax.' He has yet to pay a single cent of the more than $1 billion in damages he owes the families. On his show Wednesday, Jones railed against the families and said he was 'pissed off' over the ruling — although he acknowledged being 'resigned' to the fact that Infowars will likely have to shut down. Jones is free to keep broadcasting his show, and he has said he will do so under a different brand. Attorneys for the victims' families, meanwhile, celebrated Wednesday's ruling. 'Today's order brings us a critically important step closer to achieving the goal that the Connecticut families have spent years fighting for: holding Alex Jones accountable for years of harm,' said Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Connecticut-based families. 'The receiver is now authorized to liquidate his business assets, and we look forward to the corrupt media empire that Jones built finally being dismantled.' Mark Bankston, an attorney for the Texas-based families, added that they 'pleased' with the ruling, 'which will finally lead to accountability for Alex Jones' monstrously cruel harassment.' The Onion had planned to turn Infowars into a humorous send-up of the conspiracy-driven right-wing media ecosystem that allows figures like Jones to flourish. Their plans have also included an exclusive advertising agreement with Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control advocacy group. The Onion did not comment on the latest developments, but the outlet has previously stated that it was open to 'all options' and plans to keep pursuing the sale.
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Texas Judge Appoints Receiver for Alex Jones's Infowars
A Texas state judge has appointed a receiver to begin the liquidation of Alex Jones's Infowars media company. Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble on Wednesday appointed a receiver to take possession of all the assets of Infowars parent company Free Speech Systems and authorized sales of its assets to satisfy more than $1 billion in judgments owed to families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.
CNN
4 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Alex Jones' Infowars will go up for sale yet again, judge rules
Alex Jones' far-right platform Infowars can be sold once again to help pay the more than $1 billion he owes the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, a Texas district court judge has ordered. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said in a Wednesday hearing that Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, will be turned over to a court-appointed receiver, who will be responsible for selling the assets and using the proceeds to pay Jones' debts to the Sandy Hook families. The order paves the way for The Onion to revive its bid for the conspiracy-driven outlet and its assets. Last year, the satirical news outlet had initially won a court-mandated auction for Infowars' parent company, backed by the Sandy Hook families. However, in December, a federal bankruptcy judge halted the sale, citing concerns with the auction process and disputes over the bids. The judge later said the families should pursue what they're owed in state court rather than at the federal level. Jones was found guilty in 2022 for defamation after repeatedly claiming on-air that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, in which six adults and 20 children were killed, was a 'hoax.' He has yet to pay a single cent of the more than $1 billion in damages he owes the families. On his show Wednesday, Jones railed against the families and said he was 'pissed off' over the ruling — although he acknowledged being 'resigned' to the fact that Infowars will likely have to shut down. Jones is free to keep broadcasting his show, and he has said he will do so under a different brand. Attorneys for the victims' families, meanwhile, celebrated Wednesday's ruling. 'Today's order brings us a critically important step closer to achieving the goal that the Connecticut families have spent years fighting for: holding Alex Jones accountable for years of harm,' said Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Connecticut-based families. 'The receiver is now authorized to liquidate his business assets, and we look forward to the corrupt media empire that Jones built finally being dismantled.' Mark Bankston, an attorney for the Texas-based families, added that they 'pleased' with the ruling, 'which will finally lead to accountability for Alex Jones' monstrously cruel harassment.' The Onion had planned to turn Infowars into a humorous send-up of the conspiracy-driven right-wing media ecosystem that allows figures like Jones to flourish. Their plans have also included an exclusive advertising agreement with Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control advocacy group. The Onion did not comment on the latest developments, but the outlet has previously stated that it was open to 'all options' and plans to keep pursuing the sale.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal judge denies Sandy Hook families' settlement in Alex Jones bankruptcy
AUSTIN, Texas — A federal bankruptcy judge overseeing the case of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones rejected a proposed settlement from the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. 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 proposed settlement had aimed to address how the families would split $16 million in liquidated assets. In the proposed settlement, the families who sued Jones in Texas would have received $4 million and the right to collect 25% of any distributions exceeding $12 million going to the families who sued Jones in Connecticut. The settlement could have allowed some families who sued in Texas to collectively receive up to $480 million from Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems. Jones said the settlement was an effort to dismiss his appeals. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher Lopez of the Southern District of Texas stated in a Wednesday hearing that the families and Chapter 7 trustee Christopher Murray could either try to resolve issues in state court or return with another settlement proposal. The denial is the next step in Jones' ongoing bankruptcy case, which initially resulted in Free Speech System and its assets being auctioned off to help pay the nearly $1.4 billion in damages he owes to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut. Twenty children and six staff members were killed in the attack. Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Connecticut families, said in a statement Wednesday that "whatever steps the families take next, their determination to enforce every penny of judgments against Alex Jones will not change." 'That day was really hard': How America's schools have changed since deadliest mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary Jones was found guilty of defamation by judges in Texas and Connecticut after using his platform to spread misinformation that the shooting was a hoax and claiming the families were "paid crisis actors." Lopez gave the order for the auction in September. Murray named a joint bid between satirical news outlet The Onion and the Connecticut families as auction winners in November. First United American Companies, which has business ties with Jones, was designated the backup bidder. In December, Lopez blocked that joint bid, saying the auction process was unfair, lacked transparency and the joint bid was questionable. Since then, First United American Companies has more than doubled its original $3.5 million offer to purchase Infowars' assets. Lopez told Murray on Wednesday that he's no longer authorized to sell Infowars' assets and vacated the September order that detailed terms of the auction. Murray and the families had tried to use the order as justification to open claims against Free Speech Systems, which Lopez said could not be done as the order had already served its intended purpose. Murray is now only authorized to sell Infowars' equity. "I'm not allowing a sale of the assets anymore, pure sale of the equity," Lopez said. "This case keeps taking twists and turns and trying to come up with really masterful, creative lawyering. But at its core, it's something I can't approve. I'm really trying to do what I think is my duty and my job upon careful analysis of the law. And so, I'm not approving. I cannot." Lopez also said since Free Speech Systems' bankruptcy case was dismissed last year, disputes with the company cannot take place in his courtroom and should be pursued in state court. Lopez has said previously that he wants the more than 2½-year-long case to be wrapped up in 2025, but it remains to be seen what will happen to Infowars' equity. 'Times when it seems like yesterday': Sandy Hook school psychologist died confronting gunman. 10 years later, her husband still fights for change. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Alex Jones bankruptcy: Judge rejects Sandy Hook families' settlement
