Three companies affiliated with far-right broadcaster and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, including media outlet Infowars, filed for Chapter 11 protection in the US bankruptcy court for the Southern District of Texas on Sunday, according to court documents.
Infowars is facing multiple lawsuits for defamation of families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, which Mr. Jones alleged was a hoax. Two other companies associated with Mr. Jones, IWHealth and Prison Planet TV, also filed for bankruptcy protection on Sunday.
Last September, Mr. Jones lost two defamation lawsuits filed in Texas by the victims’ families for failing to provide the requested information to the court. Months later, in a case that represented the families of eight others who died in the shooting, a Connecticut judge ruled that Mr. Jones was default liable for refusing to provide court-ordered documents, including financial records. to carry. The verdicts resulted in major victories for the families.
Mr. Jones has been spreading false theories for years that the shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six schoolteachers in Newtown, Conn. were part of a government-led plot to confiscate Americans’ firearms and implicated the families of the victims in the plan.
Because of the falsehoods, the victims’ families have been routinely approached by those who believe these false claims. Among them are Noah Pozner’s parents, who have moved and live in hiding nearly 10 times since the shooting.
The Sandy Hook families claim that Mr. Jones profited from spreading lies about the murders of their relatives. Mr Jones has disputed that, although for years he has not produced enough data to substantiate his claims.
Last month, a Connecticut judge found the radio host contemptuous for not attending for a statement and ordered him to be fined $25,000 for the first weekday he failed to appear for testimony, after which the fine was increased by $25,000 each day. . to appear.
In lawsuits due to begin this month in Texas, juries will determine how many Mr. Jones has to pay the families in damages. The Connecticut case is the last scheduled trial, starting September 1.
In its court files, Infowars said it had up to 49 creditors, as much as $50,000 in estimated assets and up to $10 million in estimated liabilities. The other two companies said they also had up to 49 creditors, with IWHealth stating it had up to $1 million in assets, while Prison Planet TV said it had up to $50,000.
According to the government, filing for Chapter 11 protection can reorganize a business or partnership. The company can propose a plan to continue the business and pay the creditors over a period of time.