A federal judge has rejected a winning bid by the parent company of The Onion to acquire certain websites and related assets associated with Infowars, the conspiracy theory radio program hosted and owned by Alex Jones.
In a written ruling Tuesday evening, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez called the bidding process for the assets of Infowars flawed, though he also said he did not want to restart the auction process and would leave it up to a bankruptcy court trustee to determine how things will move forward.
The Onion originally offered $1.75 million in cash, plus another $5.5 million in future income. The bid was back by the families of victims who were killed in a 2012 school shooting; Jones had previously disparaged the victims and their families, leading to numerous lawsuits that resulted in multi-billion dollar judgments against him and effectuating the bankruptcy cases and subsequent auction.
The outcome of the auction was challenged after First United American Companies filed a legal objection, saying the operator of the auction improperly weighed the bid by The Onion’s parent company over their $3 million all-cash offer. First United has ties to products that Jones sold through a storefront connected to the Infowars show.
The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, had planned to relaunch Infowars as a satire upon itself, and intended to kick Jones from his Austin-based control room and production studios in January. The judge’s decision on Tuesday effectively means Jones can remain at the Austin production facility until the trustee decides what happens next.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Christopher Mattei, a lawyer representing the families of the school shooting victims, said they were disappointed by the outcome of the legal challenge.
“These families, who have already persevered through countless delays and roadblocks, remain resilient and determined as ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt businesses accountable for the harm he has caused,” Mattei said. “This decision doesn’t change the fact that, soon, Alex Jones will begin to pay his debt to these families, and he will continue doing so for as long as it takes.”
Ben Collins, the CEO of Global Tetrahedron, said the company was “deeply disappointed in today’s decision,” but vowed to continue finding “a resolution that helps the Sandy Hook families receive a positive outcome for the horror they endured.” Sandy Hook Elementary School was the location of the 2012 school shooting that Jones disparaged.
In a statement of his own, Jones called the decision “the right thing” after the “most-ridiculous, fraudulent auction known in human history.”
