‘Infowars’ host Alex Jones files for personal bankruptcy in wake of Sandy Hook ‘hoax’ claims
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Right-wing conspiracy theorist and “Infowars” host Alex Jones on Friday filed for personal bankruptcy protection in Texas.
The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing comes after Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, were ordered to pay a total of nearly $1.5 billion in damages for falsely claiming the Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting was a hoax. It lists $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities.
Jones for years used his internet and radio shows to declare the 2012 massacre a hoax that relied on crisis actors to further a false narrative. His claims triggered a series of defamation lawsuits filed by families of several of the victims, who said they were subjected to harassment and death threats as a direct result of Jones’ commentary.
He has since acknowledged the massacre did actually happen. A total of 26 people — 20 elementary school students and six staffers — were killed during the violence inside the school in Newtown, Conn.
In October, the 48-year-old Jones was found legally responsible for his false claims. A Connecticut judge awarded the Sandy Hook families $965 million in compensatory damages; the judge later added another $473 million in punitive damages. Jones also has to pay $49.3 million in damages to a Sandy Hook victim’s family as part of a separate lawsuit in Texas.
Jones has repeatedly laughed off the payout totals on his show, saying he’d never be able to afford such high amounts. While he claims to have less than $2 million to his name, a forensic economist testified during one of his trials that Jones and his company have a combined net worth as high as $270 million.
Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, also took issue with the bankruptcy filing and blasted Jones in a statement on Friday.
“Like every other cowardly move Alex Jones has made, this bankruptcy will not work,” Mattei said in a statement.
“The bankruptcy system does not protect anyone who engages in intentional and egregious attacks on others, as Mr. Jones did. The American judicial system will hold Alex Jones accountable, and we will never stop working to enforce the jury’s verdict.”
Free Speech Systems also filed for bankruptcy protection in July.
In documents filed in that bankruptcy case, a budget for the company from Oct. 29 to Nov. 25 estimated product sales would total $2.5 million, while operating expenses would be about $740,000.
Jones’ salary was listed at $20,000 every two weeks.
With News Wire Services
