A bid by satirical news channel The Onion to buy Alex Jones’ conspiracy theory platform Infowars will return to a Texas courtroom on Monday, where a judge will decide whether a bankruptcy auction was properly conducted as Jones alleged conspiracy and fraud.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston will hear testimony about the November auction and how a trustee chose The Onion over the only other bidder — a Jones-affiliated company that offered twice as much money as The Onion.
The sale of Infowars is part of this Jones’ personal bankruptcy casewhich he filed at the end of 2022 after being ordered to pay almost $1.5 billion in defamation lawsuits brought by family members of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. Jones repeatedly called the 2012 shooting that killed 20 children and six teachers a hoax staged by actors and aimed at increasing gun control.
Most of the proceeds from the sale of Infowars, as well as much of Jones’ personal property, will go to the Sandy Hook families to help satisfy verdicts from juries and judges in state courts in Connecticut and Texas. Part of the proceeds will go to Jones’ other creditors.
The Onion, which wants to transform Infowars’ website and social media accounts into parodiesbid $1.75 million at the auction for Infowars’ assets, while First United American Companies – which operates a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements – bid $3.5 million.
The Onion’s bid also included a promise by many of the Sandy Hook families to forego some or all of the auction proceeds due to them, to give other creditors a total of $100,000 more than they would receive in other bids.
The trustee, Christopher Murray, chose The Onion, saying his proposal was better for creditors because they would receive more money.
In lawsuits, Jones and First United American Companies accused Murray, The Onion and the Sandy Hook families of illegal collusion in bidding, committing fraud and violating the rules of the judge for the auction.
Murray, The Onion and the families deny the allegations. In his own filing, Murray called the allegations “an improper attempt by a disappointed bidder to influence an otherwise fair and open auction process.”
The auction included all equipment and other assets at the Infowars studio in Austin, Texas, as well as the social media accounts, websites, video archive and product trademarks. Jones uses the studio to broadcast his far-right, conspiracy theory-filled shows on the Infowars website, his account on the social platform X and radio stations.
Jones has another studio, websites and social media accounts set up in case The Onion gets approval to buy Infowars and kicks him out. Jones has said he can continue using the Infowars platforms if the auction winner is friendly to him.
Jones is appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments citing freedom of expression, but has acknowledged that the school shooting happened.