HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Jones, the Infowars host infamous for propagating conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, has suffered a significant legal setback. A Texas judge has ruled that Jones cannot utilize bankruptcy protection to evade paying over $1.1 billion in damages to families who sued him for his false and defamatory claims regarding the tragic 2012 shooting.
This ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston on Thursday, marks another major defeat for Jones. Juries in both Texas and Connecticut had previously penalized him for spreading falsehoods that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a hoax, inflicting immense emotional distress on the victims’ families.
Last year, facing mounting legal pressure, Alex Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Financial documents submitted by his legal team recently estimated his personal net worth to be around $14 million. However, Judge Lopez determined that bankruptcy protections are not applicable in this case due to the prior findings of “willful and malicious” conduct against Jones. This crucial distinction means Jones cannot discharge his debts to the Sandy Hook families through bankruptcy proceedings.
Christopher Mattei, a Connecticut-based lawyer representing the families, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision. “The families are pleased with the Court’s ruling that Jones’s malicious conduct will find no safe harbor in the bankruptcy court,” Mattei stated. “As a result, Jones will continue to be accountable for his actions into the future regardless of his claimed bankruptcy.” An attorney representing Alex Jones did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.
In response to the ruling, Jones posted a video on his Infowars website, downplaying the practical impact of the judge’s decision. He asserted that he is personally in debt by over $1 million and possesses limited funds to pay the Sandy Hook families. “It’s all academic. I don’t have a million dollars,” Jones claimed in the video. He further stated, “My company has a few million, but that’s just to pay the bills and my product in the future. So we are literally on empty. So this idea that … we’re going to take your money away doesn’t exist because the money doesn’t exist. It’s all political.” Despite the financial constraints, Jones maintained that he would continue to appeal the verdicts and remain on air, suggesting the ruling was a politically motivated attack on his freedom of speech.
The lawsuits against Jones stem from his relentless promotion of a false conspiracy theory following the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, where 26 lives were lost. Jones made this fabricated narrative a central theme on his Infowars platform, falsely claiming the event was a hoax. He has actively solicited donations from his audience and encouraged purchases from the Infowars website, ostensibly to support his program and cover mounting legal expenses.
Financial disclosures in the bankruptcy case revealed that Jones’ personal spending in July alone exceeded $93,000, including substantial sums spent on meals and entertainment. This revelation has further aggravated the Sandy Hook families, who have yet to receive any of the substantial damages awarded to them by juries. The nearly $1.5 billion in judgments against Jones were awarded in response to lawsuits filed by Sandy Hook families who suffered relentless harassment and threats from Jones’ followers. These followers, fueled by his conspiracy theories, accused the grieving families of being “crisis actors” and falsely claimed their children never existed.
The legal battles for Alex Jones are far from over. Another lawsuit, filed in Texas by the parents of Noah Pozner, a six-year-old victim of the Sandy Hook shooting, is still pending, with a trial date yet to be determined. Despite attempts to use bankruptcy to shield himself, the recent ruling confirms that Alex Jones will continue to face legal and financial accountability for the immense harm caused by his defamatory statements.
