A Texas judge decided the fate of Infowars host Alex Jones’ personal assets on Friday in a ruling that delivered closure for families who sued the broadcaster for defamation over his comments about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting.
The liquidation of the Infowars host’s personal assets were called for in the judgement clearing the way for potential payouts to families of the tragedy.
Lawyers told bankruptcy judge Christopher Lopez those personal assets include Jones’ $2.8 million Texas ranch.
However, Lopez ruled against a liquidation of Jones’ company Free Speech Systems, which owns the Infowars brand.
Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge Friday, June 14, 2024, in Houston. The ruled on whether to liquidate Jones’ assets to help pay the $1.5 billion he owes for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Relatives of the victims have won a total of $1.5bn in defamation judgements against Jones, 50, and his company over his false statements about the attack, as Breitbart News reported.
The liquidation will force the sale of Jones’s assets – including a multimillion-dollar ranch, other properties, cars, boats and guns. Recent court filings show Jones has around $8.6m in personal assets, according to the BBC.
The ruling on Friday in Houston, Texas, means Free Speech Systems and Infowars will continue to operate for now.
Court filings detail Free Speech Systems employs 44 people and made nearly $3.2m in revenue in one recent month, mostly from selling dietary supplements and other items.
File/The lawyers representing the families of the victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary speak to the media after jurors returned a $965 million dollar judgement in the defamation trial against Alex Jones, in Waterbury, Conn, Oct. 12, 2022. Jones asked the court Wednesday, June 5, 2024, for permission to convert his personal bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation, which would lead to a sell-off of a large portion of his assets to help pay some of the $1.5 billion he owes relatives of victims of the shooting. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File)
One of the attorneys for the families said they would move quickly to collect damages.
“The court authorized us to move immediately to collect against all Infowars assets, and we intend to do exactly that,” Christopher Mattei said in a statement Friday, as seen by the BBC.
“Alex Jones is neither a martyr nor a victim. He is the perpetrator of the worst defamation in American history.”