AUSTIN, Texas – In a significant legal development, a state judge in Texas has appointed a receiver to oversee the sale of Infowars’ assets, the media empire of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. This decisive move is aimed at satisfying the more than $1 billion in legal judgments owed to the grieving families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The order, issued by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin on Wednesday, places Jones’s flagship operation, Free Speech Systems, under the control of a court-appointed receiver. This could lead to the shutdown of Infowars’ production studio and a halt to its broadcasts within days. Amidst these developments, Ben Collins, CEO of the satirical publication The Onion, indicated a renewed interest in acquiring Infowars, stating on social media, “We’re working on it,” referencing their previous attempt to transform the platform into a parody site.
Alex Jones Defies Court Order, Vows to Continue Broadcasting
Reacting defiantly on his daily show Thursday, Jones, who broadcasts from Austin, lambasted the Texas court order as improper. He vowed to continue broadcasting even if he is locked out of his current studio, claiming a backup studio is already prepared. “People want to hear this show,” Jones asserted. “I will continue on with the network. They can harass me forever. … And they won’t get me off the air.” He further expressed an expectation that Infowars would ultimately be sold to an entity committed to keeping it on the air.
The Genesis of the Legal Battle: Sandy Hook Lies
The legal battle stems from Jones’s egregious and repeated claims that the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax. On December 14, 2012, 20 first-grade children and six educators were killed in the massacre. For years, Jones propagated false narratives, asserting that the event was staged and the victims’ families were actors. These baseless conspiracy theories led to immense suffering, with victims’ relatives testifying in court about being terrorized and harassed by Jones’s ardent supporters.
Landmark Judgments Against Jones
In 2022, juries in both Connecticut and Texas awarded the Sandy Hook families nearly $1.5 billion in judgments against Jones and Free Speech Systems. These landmark verdicts found him liable for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, delivering a measure of justice to those he had deeply wronged.
Bankruptcy and The Onion’s Bid: A Tumultuous Auction
Facing these monumental judgments, Jones and his company both filed for bankruptcy in 2022. A federal Bankruptcy Court judge in Houston, Christopher Lopez, subsequently ordered the sale of Free Speech Systems’ assets, including Infowars’ production equipment and intellectual property, at auction to help compensate the families. However, this process hit a snag when Judge Lopez rejected the outcome of a November auction. The Onion had been named the winning bidder over a single other proposal from a company affiliated with Jones. Lopez expressed concerns over the auction’s transparency and the actual value of The Onion’s bid, while Jones himself labeled the process “rigged.”
State Court Takes Control: Immediate Implications
The rejection of the federal auction opened the door for the Sandy Hook families to pursue the liquidation of Jones’s assets through the state courts where the defamation judgments were originally awarded. Judge Gamble’s order mandates Free Speech Systems to turn over its assets within five days of formal service. The receiver is authorized to change locks at all company locations and and can request assistance from law enforcement to prevent any interference with the seizure of assets.
Uncertainty Looms for Infowars’ Future
As of Thursday, it remained unclear precisely when the order would be served on the company or when the appointed receiver, Gregory Milligan of Austin, plans to commence the asset takeover and sale. Neither Milligan nor Jones’s lawyer, Ben Broocks, responded to requests for comment. Jones, on air, contended that the state court order was invalid, arguing that Free Speech Systems’ assets remain under the control of the trustee in his federal bankruptcy case. He noted a state court hearing scheduled for September 16, suggesting Infowars could be closed next week or might continue operating pending that hearing, acknowledging his own uncertainty about the immediate future.
Past Precedent and Shifting Stance
The current situation echoes a brief shutdown last November when a bankruptcy court trustee temporarily closed Infowars’ Austin studio and websites for about 24 hours. Jones, however, quickly relocated to a nearby studio and resumed broadcasting, demonstrating his capacity to adapt. While Jones stated in 2022 that he now believes the Sandy Hook shootings were “100% real,” a stark reversal from his previous stance, he continues to appeal the Connecticut and Texas state court judgments, citing free speech rights and alleging improper actions by judges in both states.
