Alex Jones’ Infowars assets will be sold to pay over $1B in debts to Sandy Hook families
A Texas judge has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to sell off the assets of his media company, Infowars, in order to help pay the more than $1.28 billion he owes to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The ruling, signed Wednesday by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin, appoints a court receiver to take control of Infowars and begin selling its assets — including the company’s property, recording equipment, and brand — to satisfy the debt.
This move could soon force Jones out of his studio and effectively shut down his longtime platform. The court filing lists Jones’ total liability at $1,288,139,555.
The ruling also revived interest from The Onion, the satirical news outlet, which had previously attempted to purchase Infowars. The Onion, backed by Sandy Hook families, won a bankruptcy auction for the site last year, but the sale was later blocked by a federal judge over concerns about the auction process. On Wednesday, The Onion’s CEO Ben Collins posted on social media, “We’re working on it.”
Despite the ruling, Jones claimed during his Thursday broadcast that he’s prepared to continue operating. “People want to hear this show,” he said. “I will continue on with the network. They can harass me forever… and they won’t get me off the air.” Jones, who is based in Austin, added that he has already established a backup studio in case Infowars is seized.
The legal actions stem from lawsuits filed in 2018 by families of the Sandy Hook victims after Jones repeatedly promoted the false claim that the mass shooting was staged as part of a government plot to take away Americans’ guns. The massacre in Newtown, Connecticut left 26 people dead — including 20 children. The shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, used an AR-15-style rifle and later died by suicide.
Jones was found liable for defamation in 2022 and ordered to pay massive damages for the harm caused by his conspiracy theories.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit group founded in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, has previously stated it would advertise on a rebranded version of Infowars under The Onion’s ownership, if the sale ultimately goes through.
“This ruling marks a critically important step toward holding Alex Jones accountable,” said Christopher Mattei, an attorney representing the families, in a statement to The New York Times.
Jones’ legal team has not responded publicly to the court’s latest order.
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