U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston will evaluate the November auction process and address the allegations of collusion and fraud raised by Jones.
The auction is part of Jones’s personal bankruptcy case, filed in late 2022 following defamation lawsuit judgments totaling nearly $1.5 billion. The lawsuits were filed by families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which Jones previously had repeatedly claimed was staged.
The Onion’s proposal included an agreement from Sandy Hook families to forgo some or all of their auction proceeds, allowing other creditors to receive an additional $100,000 compared to other bids.
Jones and First United American Companies have accused Murray, The Onion, and the Sandy Hook families of illegal collusion, fraud, and violating auction rules. Murray has denied such allegations and called them “a disappointed bidder’s improper attempt to influence an otherwise fair and open auction process.”
The auction includes Infowars’ studio equipment in Austin, Texas, social media accounts, video archives, websites, and product trademarks, which Jones currently uses to broadcast his shows.
The Associated Press reports that Jones has set up additional broadcasting facilities ahead of potentially losing access to Infowars’ platforms. He has indicated that he might continue using the Infowars platforms if the auction winner agrees to him being there.
Jones is appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments on grounds of free speech, though he has since acknowledged the Sandy Hook shooting as a legitimate shooting. In a lawsuit in Connecticut, the state’s appeals court recently reduced the original $1.44 billion judgment by $150 million but upheld the rest of the award. Jones’s lawyer has announced plans to seek a review from Connecticut’s highest court.
Jones is also appealing a separate $50 million judgment in a similar Texas defamation lawsuit.
In a statement earlier this month, The Onion said it plans to relaunch Infowars in January 2025 as a parody of Jones and conspiracy theorists, according to statements from the company’s CEO.
“Our goal in a couple of years is for people to think of Infowars as the funniest and dumbest website that exists,” Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, told The Associated Press.
