Alex Jones' Personal Assets to Be Sold to Pay $1.5B Sandy Hook Debt Amid Company Bankruptcy Dismissal

A federal judge has ordered the liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets to pay the $1.5 billion in damages owed to the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. However, the bankruptcy case for Jones' company, Free Speech Systems, has been dismissed, leaving the future of his Infowars media platform uncertain.

Judge Christopher Lopez approved converting Jones’ proposed personal bankruptcy reorganization into a liquidation. However, he dismissed the case of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, after Jones failed to reach an agreement with the Sandy Hook families on his proposals to reorganize and keep the company operational while paying them millions of dollars.

It remains unclear what will happen to Free Speech Systems in the coming weeks, but both Jones and the lawyers for the Sandy Hook families expect Infowars to cease operating due to the massive debt. A trustee appointed in Jones’ personal bankruptcy case now has control over his assets, including Infowars, according to the families' lawyers.

The dismissal of Free Speech Systems’ case means the families can immediately begin collecting the $1.5 billion awarded in state courts in Texas and Connecticut, where they won defamation lawsuits against Jones and his company. Infowars may continue operating during the collection efforts, which could involve selling off the company’s assets.

Jones, who smiled as the judge dismissed the company’s case, called in to Infowars after the court hearing and predicted more battles in state courts. “The bizarre political attempts to hijack the operation have failed,” he said, adding that he would find another way to broadcast his shows if he loses Infowars.

Outside the courthouse, Jones criticized the families for not accepting his reorganization proposals, alleging they were being used by political groups in a conspiracy to silence him. He vowed to maximize revenues at Infowars to pay creditors and then wind down the business in a way that supports its 44 employees.

“This is about taking me off the air,” Jones said. “Understand that what you’ve seen in the corporate media about me, or what I said about Sandy Hook or any of this, has no bearing on reality.”

Chris Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, called Infowars “soon-to-be defunct” as his clients move to collect the debt in state courts. He added that the families would also pursue Jones’ future earnings. “Today is a good day,” Mattei said in a text message after the hearing. “Alex Jones has lost ownership of Infowars, the corrupt business he has used for years to attack the Connecticut families and so many others.”

Lopez had been asked to either convert Free Speech Systems’ bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation or dismiss the case. He said his focus was on what would be best for the company and its creditors. “This case is one of the more difficult cases I’ve had. When you look at it, I think creditors are better served in pursuing their state court rights,” he said.

Many of Jones’ personal assets will be sold off, but his primary home in the Austin area and some other belongings are exempt from bankruptcy liquidation. He has already moved to sell his Texas ranch worth about $2.8 million, a gun collection, and other assets to pay debts.

In the lead-up to Friday’s hearing, Jones had been telling his web viewers and radio listeners that Free Speech Systems was on the verge of being shut down because of the bankruptcy. He urged them to download videos from his online archive to preserve them and directed them to a new website of his father’s company to continue buying the dietary supplements he sells on his show.

Jones has about $9 million in personal assets, according to recent financial filings in court. Free Speech Systems has about $6 million in cash on hand and about $1.2 million worth of inventory, according to J. Patrick Magill, the chief restructuring officer appointed by the court to run the company during the bankruptcy.

During Friday’s hearing, lawyers for the Sandy Hook families repeated claims that Jones illegally diverted millions of dollars before and during the bankruptcies. The families have a pending lawsuit in Texas accusing Jones of illegally diverting money, which he denies, and said they will continue efforts to recover it.

Jones and Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy protection in 2022 after relatives of the 2012 school shooting victims won lawsuit judgments of more than $1.4 billion in Connecticut and $49 million in Texas. The relatives said they were traumatized by Jones’ comments and his followers’ actions, including harassment and threats. One parent testified that someone threatened to dig up his dead son’s grave.

Jones is appealing the judgments in state courts. The families in the Connecticut lawsuit, including relatives of eight dead children and adults, asked for Free Speech Systems’ bankruptcy case to be converted to a liquidation. However, the parents in the Texas suit wanted the company’s case dismissed, believing it would speed up the collection of Jones’ debt.

Lawyers for the company filed documents indicating support for liquidation, but attorneys for Jones’ personal bankruptcy case wanted the judge to dismiss the company’s case.

As Jones continues his appeal process, the Sandy Hook families remain determined to ensure that justice is served and that Jones’ assets are used to compensate for the immense pain and suffering caused by his false claims about the tragedy.