Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to ask judge to block Infowars sale in bankruptcy hearing

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is set to appear Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas, where he is expected to ask a judge to block the sale of his website Infowars to satirical news site The Onion.

The Onion purchased Infowars last month in a bankruptcy auction. Shortly after the sale, Mr. Jones and his allies alleged the auction was fraudulent and confirmed that they would challenge the sale in court.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, who questioned the legitimacy of the November auction in previous court hearings, asked both Mr. Jones and Onion representatives to bring evidence for consideration on Monday.

First American United Cos., which is affiliated with Mr. Jones, was the runner-up in the November auction. The company said it bid $3.5 million for the site and that The Onion only bid half that. First-American United Companies also alleges that The Onion received unfair credit for lining up support from the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.

The Sandy Hook families, who won defamation lawsuits against Mr. Jones over his dissemination of conspiracy theories surrounding the 2012 shooting, agreed to forgo immediate payment from the Infowars sale in return for future payments from a relaunched Infowars under Onion leadership.

The Onion has promised to relaunch Infowars sometime next year as a parody site.

Representatives for The Onion and bankruptcy trustee Christopher Murray have denied allegations from Mr. Jones and his allies that the sake was fraudulent. Mr. Murray has also said that First-American United Companies’ bid offered less to the Sandy Hook families, Mr. Jones’ biggest creditors, than The Onion’s bid.

 The November auction came at the end of a long journey for Mr. Jones, who declared bankruptcy in 2022. Mr. Jones was forced to liquidate his assets, including all Infowars branding and equipment, to pay the $1.4 billion he owes the Sandy Hook families after losing the defamation suits.