Judge to approve selling off Infowars media platform and assets to make Sandy Hook lawsuit payments

A federal judge on Tuesday indicated that he will approve a request to liquidate and sell off Alex Jones' Infowars media platform and its assets at auctions this fall, to pay out the $1 billion he owes families of victims at the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.

Jones came under heat and legal trouble after he claimed the 2012 elementary school shooting in Connecticut was a "hoax" and that the grieving parents were actually "crisis actors" who were trying to pass gun legislation. But he has since admitted that the shooting was real.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he had to make changes to a previous order before he can officially sign off on the auctions, which begin in November. Jones and his company both filed bankruptcy around the time that Jones was ordered to pay almost $1.5 billion in damages, per the Associated Press.

The order comes after family members of the victims sued him for his conspiracy theories around the shooting, which they claimed resulted in bullying and harassment. One family said a follower of Jones threatened to dig up their dead son's grave.

The sales will include Infowars' intellectual property such as its trademarks, copyrighted material, social media accounts and websites. Jones will be allowed to keep his personal social media accounts, such as his X account. Jones indicated on Tuesday that he would use the social media account, and possibly a website to continue his work with Infowars.

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said he believes the ruling will be a good step for the victims and their families. 

“Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built,” Mattei said in a statement. “This brings the families closer to their goal of holding him accountable for the harm he has caused.”

The Sandy Hook shooting resulted in the deaths of 20 first-graders and six faculty members. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.