Three companies linked to far-right television operator and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, including Infowars, have filed for Chapter 11 on Sunday in the U.S. Insolvency Court in South Texas, according to court documents.
Infowars is facing numerous defamation lawsuits from families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, which Mr Jones claims is a scam. Two other companies associated with Mr Jones, IWHealth and Prison Planet TV, also filed for bankruptcy 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 involving the families of eight other people killed in the shooting, a Connecticut judge ruled that Mr Jones was responsible by default for refusing to hand over court orders, including financial records. The decisions brought remarkable victories to the families.
Mr Jones has been spreading false theories for years that the shooting, which killed 20 first-graders and six teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, was part of a government-led conspiracy to seize American firearms and that the families of the victims were involved in the scheme. .
Because of the lies, the families of the victims are routinely attacked by those who believe these false allegations. Among them are Noah Posner’s parents, who have moved nearly 10 times since the shooting and live in hiding.
Sandy Hook’s family claims Mr Jones has benefited from spreading lies about the murders of their relatives. Mr Jones disputed this, failing to provide enough records for years to support his allegations.
Last month, a Connecticut judge found the radio host in disrespect for failing to testify and ordered that he be fined $ 25,000 for the first weekday not to testify, with a $ 25,000 fine each. the day after that he didn’t. appear.
During the trials, which are due to begin this month in Texas, jurors will determine how much Mr. Jones should pay families for compensation. The Connecticut trial is the last scheduled trial to begin on September 1.
In its court documents, Infowars said it has up to 49 creditors, up to $ 50,000 in estimated assets and up to $ 10 million in estimated liabilities. The other two companies said they also have up to 49 creditors, with IWHealth saying it has assets of up to $ 1 million, while Prison Planet TV said it has up to $ 50,000.
Filing Chapter 11 protection allows a corporation or partnership to reorganize, according to the government. The business can offer a plan to continue working and to pay off creditors for a certain period of time.
Add Comment