Dietrich Knauth
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Families of Sandy Hook massacre victims want to seize Alex Jones’ social media accounts as part of his bankruptcy, saying the conspiracy theorist’s frequent messages to fans are a key part of the Infowars business, which is being liquidated to pay off Jones’ debts.
Jones, who filed for bankruptcy protection 17 months ago, has abandoned attempts to reach an agreement that would reduce the $1.5 billion he owes to relatives of 20 students and six staff members killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 year. in Newtown, Connecticut.
Jones and the Sandy Hook families now agree that Jones’ assets should be liquidated in bankruptcy. But on Wednesday, the families asked a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Houston, Texas, to further take control of Jones’ X.com account and bar Jones from using it to promote new business ventures.
The Sandy Hook families asked the judge to clarify that Jones’ “@RealAlexJones” account on X.com, formerly known as Twitter, will be among the assets handed over to a court-appointed trustee in charge of liquidating Jones’ assets. Jones X’s account, which has 2.3 million followers, is “no different from the client list of any other business being liquidated,” the Sandy Hook families claim.
They alleged Jones used the social media account to dilute the value of Infowars by diverting sales from the site to his father’s site, DrJonesNaturals.com, which sells dietary supplements and other products.
Jones was banned from the platform for nearly five years, but his account was reinstated in December following a user survey conducted by X.com owner Elon Musk.
A U.S. bankruptcy judge is scheduled to hear the families’ claim at a court hearing Friday in Houston. A judge is expected to move Alex Jones’ bankruptcy case from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which gives more control to a bankrupt debtor, to a Chapter 7 liquidation, which will allow a court-appointed receiver to take and sell Jones’ assets.
Jones has argued for years that the Sandy Hook killings were staged by actors as part of a government plot to seize Americans’ guns. Jones has since admitted the shooting happened.
The judge overseeing Jones’ bankruptcy ruled that most of the debt would survive the liquidation because it was the result of “willful and malicious” acts.
Jones estimates his assets to be less than $12 million, meaning he will be carrying a huge legal debt even after selling Infowars and his other assets.
The Sandy Hook families intend to continue to recover Jones’ future earnings and seek additional payments from Jones’ wife, father, employees and other associates to whom Jones allegedly transferred assets.
A Chapter 7 liquidation will allow the Sandy Hook families to enforce their judgments “now and in the future, while preventing Jones from causing widespread harm as he did for approximately 25 years,” said Chris Mattei, Sandy’s attorney. Hook families.
Jones said on The Alex Jones Show on June 7 that Infowars was “overrun” and would “be completely useless” without him. He urged listeners to buy DrJonesNaturals products to support his “future” and ensure he can continue broadcasting after Infowars shuts down.
“I’ve already sold everything except my house,” Jones said June 7. “I’m taking the final steps on this matter.”