The presenter of Infowars, Alex Jones, was found guilty of propagating conspiracy theories about the 2012 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School and was ordered to pay over $1.1 billion in restitution to the victims’ families. However, a court in Texas determined that Jones cannot file for bankruptcy protection in order to avoid making the payments. The decision was made by U.S. District Judge Christopher Lopez of Houston, who stated that the bankruptcy protection does not extend to findings of “willful and malicious” conduct. Lopez delivered the order.
Jones had made a petition for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; the financial statements that were given by his counsel indicate that Jones’s personal net worth is around $14 million. Christopher Mattei, an attorney representing the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims, expressed his satisfaction with the decision of the court, adding that Jones’s hateful behavior would not be protected by the bankruptcy court and that he would still be held accountable for his acts.
Jones, on the other hand, said in a video that was published on his Infowars website that the verdict would not have a substantial impact since he is personally more than one million dollars in debt and does not have the money to compensate the relatives of the Sandy Hook victims. He stated that he was on the point of going bankrupt and that there was no money set aside for the victims. Jones is persisting in his efforts to overturn the rulings and has reiterated that he would not permit his right to free expression to be violated.
The fraudulent statements that Jones made concerning the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, which claimed the lives of 26 people, are the source of Jones’ legal problems. Sandy Hook families won almost $1.5 billion in judgments against Jones in cases that were tied to his frequent advocacy of the baseless belief that the school shooting was a fabrication. The claims were filed a year ago.
Jones had solicited financial assistance from his audience in the form of donations and urged them to make purchases through the Infowars website so that he could pay for his legal fees. During the trials, the family of the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School testified that they were harassed and intimidated by supporters of Jones. The families said that Jones’s supporters had threatened them and accused them of being “crisis actors” whose children had never been in the first place.