A US federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ′ personal assets but said he was still deciding on his company’s separate bankruptcy case, leaving the future of his Infowars media platform uncertain. Jones owes US$1.5 billion for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
Judge Christopher Lopez approved converting Jones’ proposed personal bankruptcy reorganisation to a liquidation. He was hearing testimony on Friday afternoon on whether Infowars’ parent company, Texas-based Free Speech Systems, also should be liquidated. Lopez’s ruling earlier on Friday means many of Jones’ personal assets will be sold.
But his primary home in the Austin area and some other belongings are exempt from bankruptcy liquidation. He already has moved to sell his Texas ranch worth about US$2.8 million, a gun collection and other assets to help pay debts.
A liquidation of Free Speech Systems would mean Jones loses control of the company and its assets would be sold. He would lose the Infowars studios in Austin and its equipment, the company’s social media accounts and all copyrights. A bankruptcy trustee would oversee the company and liquidation.
The Sandy Hook families also want Jones to lose his personal social media accounts, but he opposes that. Some of Jones’ supporters, including former Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone, have suggested they might try to buy Infowars. Jones did not seem to react when the jud.