Alex Jones could lose his Infowars platform to pay for Sandy Hook conspiracy lawsuit
The Hindu
Alex Jones faces potential liquidation of Infowars due to bankruptcy, following lawsuits over false claims about Sandy Hook.
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones appears on the brink of losing the Infowars media platform that he turned into a multimillion-dollar moneymaker over the past 25 years, as a bankruptcy judge is set to rule on whether to liquidate his assets to help pay the $1.5 billion he owes for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
A hearing is scheduled on June 14 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Jones has been telling his web viewers and radio listeners that Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, is on the verge of being shut down because of the bankruptcy. He's also been urging them to download videos from his online archive to preserve them and pointing them to a new website of his father's company if they want to continue buying the dietary supplements he sells on his show.
“I think it’s very accurate to say Infowars is a sinking ship,” Mr. Jones said during his show on June 12, later adding that it could be a matter of hours or days when he loses the company.
“Infowars will live on through all the great work we’ve done, all the reports we’ve filed, through you saving them and you sharing them, and of course I will come back stronger than ever," he said. “But I’m going to stay with the ship until it fully sinks...At the last moment, I will then step onto the next ship.”
A liquidation would mean Mr. Jones’ assets would be sold off. It could also mean Mr. Jones loses ownership of Free Speech Systems, Infowars, the company’s social media accounts and all copyrights. Final details are not yet decided. Some of Jones’ supporters, including former President Donald Trump’s adviser Roger Stone, have suggested they might try to buy Infowars.
Messages seeking comment ahead of Friday's hearing were left for bankruptcy lawyers for Mr. Jones and Free Speech Systems. He has about $9 million in personal assets, while his company has about $4 million in cash on hand, according to the most recent financial filings in court.
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