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On Tuesday, December 10, bankruptcy judge Christopher Lopez rejected the sale of Infowars to the owners of the satirical site The Onion. The decision was significant for Infowars owner Alex Jones, who has been embroiled in an extended legal battle with the families of 26 children and teachers who were killed in Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.
The families sued Alex Jones for defamation in 2018, claiming that he lied about the shootings never happening in his podcast. This allegedly prompted his followers to threaten and disbelieve them for years. Although Jones initially refused to cooperate, Judges in Connecticut and Texas found him liable by default and ordered him to pay the families over a billion dollars in damages.
Thereafter, Alex Jones filed for bankruptcy and his media company Free Speech Systems was ordered to be sold off to help him pay at least a fraction of the money.
According to a December 11 report by ABC News, Jones accused The Onion and Sandy Hook Elementary School families of 'collusive bidding' and asked the bankruptcy court judge to halt the sale of Infowars in November this year.
After the conclusion of a two-day testimony in Houston, the Judge had an issue with the transparency of the bidding process and a failure to maximize the value of the auction. As per NPR's December 11 report, immediately after halting the bidding process, the Connecticut families expressed their disappointment through their attorney Chris Mattei.
"These families, who have already persevered through countless delays and roadblocks, remain resilient and determined as ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt businesses accountable for the harm he has caused," Mattei said.
After the judge halted the sale of Infowars, The Onion CEO Ben Collins expressed his disappointment on social media, saying:
"We are deeply disappointed in today's decision but The Onion will continue to seek a resolution that helps the Sandy Hook families receive a positive outcome for the horror they endured,"
He also explained that The Onion will continue trying to purchase Infowars in the upcoming weeks.
Fans across the internet have expressed their disappointment over The Onion not winning the bidding war for Inforwars. Some popular comments on X are as follows:
"This is how money protects money... The Onion won it fair and square, but now billionaires want to buy it after they saw how cheap it went," a fan wrote on X.
"Where do we chip in to help? Seriously!" another netizen wrote.
"We had a brief moment of joy when it was announced. Hope springs eternal," another person said.
"So bummed about the news, but I’m rooting for you guys!!!" one netizen wrote about The Onion.
One netizen talked about The Onion having connections at higher places, writing:
"It'll be ok. Alex should never have gone after George. He knows what these people are capable of. The Onion has friends in high places."
However, some people criticized The Onion and the bidding war.
"Sorry Ben. This is some bs, but looking forward to seeing The Onion continue to thrive :P, " one X user commented.
"You participated in an illegal private sale and thought nobody would stop you since the deck is so stacked against Alex Jones," one person opined .
"This is the best satire The Onion has come out with in decades," another person said.
Details of the bid for Infowars explained as the Judge says the auction "left a lot of money on the table"
As per the report from NPR, Judge Lopez rejected Alex Jones' allegations of collusion and a 'rigged process,' but also rejected the sale of Infowars to The Onion.
Judge Lopez claimed that although all parties acted in good faith, the overseeing trustee Christopher Murray could've "scratched and clawed" to procure higher offers for the families. He also added that the process was 'doomed' the moment Murray canceled the live auction and opted for sealed 'best and final offers instead.'
"I don't like second-guessing trustees," commented the Judge before saying, "It's clear that [U.S. bankruptcy trustee Christopher Murray] left a lot of money on the table."
Reportedly, the losing bidder was Alex Jones' business affiliate First United American Companies and they offered $3.5 million for Infowars. The Onion, in partnership with the families in Connecticut, offered $1.75 million in addition to a novel sweetener that claimed raised their bid to $7 million. However, the Judge decided that both offers were too small.
Judge Christopher Lopez concluded by giving the trustee 30 days to come up with a plan to sell Infowars in a way that would bring more money.
The decision means that Alex Jones would be able to continue his show under the Infowars name and from his Infowars studio. If the Judge were to approve the sale, The Onion would've taken over the brand and Alex Jones would've had to start rebuilding his name from scratch.
