Alex Jones fights to keep Infowars from The Onion's grasp

On November 25, 2024, a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Houston was set to hear a legal challenge from Alex Jones regarding the sale of his media platform, Infowars. This challenge arises from a court ruling mandating the sale to the satirical outlet, The Onion, as part of a settlement to satisfy a $1.5 billion defamation judgment against Jones related to his claims about the Sandy Hook shooting. Jones contends that his preferred bidder, First United American Companies, should have been awarded the sale due to its higher monetary offer of $3.5 million compared to The Onion’s bid of $1.75 million. Trustee Christopher Murray argued, however, that The Onion's bid had additional value due to its calculated future earnings projection, suggesting a total value of $7 million. The Onion indicated that they would forgo some percentage of future revenue to ensure the Sandy Hook families received the due compensation. In contrast, First United American Companies’ attorney accused The Onion of collusion regarding their bid's evaluation, arguing that its projected revenues lacked certainty. The assets of Jones' Infowars and his parent company, Free Speech Systems, are up for sale, which includes various media-related assets to address the substantial defamation judgment stemming from Jones' previous statements denying the occurrence of the Sandy Hook shooting. Jones is presently appealing this judgment, citing concerns over his free speech rights. Ultimately, this ongoing legal battle underlines the complexities surrounding the valuation of media assets linked to controversial figures and the implications of financial recoveries in high-profile defamation cases.