Bankruptcy Court Denies The Onion's Acquisition of Infowars Amid Controversy and Legal Struggles

A US bankruptcy judge has rejected a proposed sale of Alex Jones’s controversial Infowars website to the satirical news platform The Onion. The decision came after a two-day hearing presided over by Judge Christopher Lopez, who concluded that the auction for Infowars did not generate the optimal bids necessary for an appropriate sale.

Judge Lopez dismissed Jones’s allegations of collusion in the auction process, while he acknowledged the involvement of families of Sandy Hook shooting victims in The Onion’s bid. These families had previously won a landmark defamation case against Jones, entitling them to $1.5 billion for his false claims regarding the 2012 massacre where twenty children and six staff members were killed.

The judge criticized the actions of the court-appointed trustee overseeing the auction, labeling it a “good-faith error” for not actively encouraging further bidding. Judge Lopez emphasized that the auction process should have been opened back up to allow all potential bidders, including The Onion and a firm linked to Jones’s supplement-selling enterprises, to present final offers competitively.

Alex Jones, who gained notoriety in the 1990s and cultivated a vast following through a mix of sensational opinions and dubious claims, has faced severe financial repercussions due to his actions surrounding the Sandy Hook tragedy. His unsubstantiated assertions that the massacre was staged, fraught with conspiracy, have incited harassment against bereaved families, leading to public outcry and legal accountability.

After declaring bankruptcy in 2022 as lawsuits mounted against him for defamation, Jones’s financial woes escalated with a court ruling in June 2024 ordering the liquidation of his substantial personal assets, valued at approximately $8.6 million. These assets include a sizable ranch, various properties, vehicles, and firearms.

This case highlights the long-standing repercussions of Jones’s provocations and the broader implications of freely disseminated misinformation in the digital age.