Two years after judges ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $1 billion to victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting, a judge has OK'd the sale of his ranch to pay down some of his legal debts.
A Houston bankruptcy court ruled late last month that Jones’ estate can sell a 127-acre plot of land valued at at least $2.8 million to pay families of victims of the 2012 elementary school shooting.
Jones was ordered to pay restitution in 2022, after he was found liable in two defamation suits filed by families who claimed his suggestion that the shooting was a hoax and they were crisis actors sparked death threats. Jones claimed his Sandy Hook denial was a "temporary psychosis" and that he was playing a character for his show. Two judges, one in Austin and another in Connecticut, didn't buy that, siding with parents and requiring him to pay a total of roughly $1 billion.
He subsequently filed for bankruptcy protections for himself and his company, Free Speech Systems, claiming he only had $2 million to his name. Evidence presented by plaintiffs showed Jones and Free Speech Systems had a net worth of about $270 million.
Jones went on InfoWars last weekend and railed against lawsuits that could lead to the potential liquidation of his assets — including his properties. He was erratic, crying and saying it could end his long-running program, on which he pushed his Sandy Hook conspiracy.
Republican strategist Steve Bannon suggested Jones and his supporters surround the building, requiring anyone attempting to kick him out to "come through a chain of patriots."
"That’s what I’m going to do," Jones said. "We need to surround the building and just make a big issue of this and expose this."
Following his remarks, Sandy Hook plaintiffs filed an emergency motion to end Jones’ bankruptcy protection for Free Speech Systems. A hearing on that motion is slated for June 14. If a judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could mean the U.S. government would require Jones to begin liquidating his assets to pay the court-ordered money to Sandy Hook parents.
In their filing, plaintiffs called their motion "critical at this time" and said it "will bring the [Free Speech System case] to a much-needed conclusion."
