Infowars Controversy: The Onion's Tumultuous Acquisition

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones aims to stop the sale of his Infowars website to The Onion, claiming fraud in the bankruptcy auction. The Onion won bidding but faces allegations of a rigged process. Jones and his affiliates continue to battle legal judgments over Sandy Hook defamation claims.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones will appear before a U.S. bankruptcy judge to challenge the sale of his Infowars website to news parody outlet The Onion during a court hearing on Monday in Houston. The Onion was declared the successful bidder in a November bankruptcy auction. However, Jones and a related company that sells dietary supplements have accused the sale process of being marred by fraud and collusion.

In 2022, Jones declared bankruptcy and was subsequently required to liquidate assets to cover $1.4 billion in legal judgments awarded to families of victims from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Jones was determined to have defamed the families by repeatedly claiming the shooting was a government conspiracy to confiscate firearms.

The Onion intends to relaunch Infowars in 2025 as a parody site with significantly reduced hateful rhetoric. Approval from the court is required for the sale to be finalized. During a prior hearing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez expressed reservations regarding the auction's transparency and requested evidence to be presented at Monday's meeting.

Jones' affiliated entity, First American United Companies, which placed the second highest bid, alleged that The Onion gained an unfair advantage with support from Sandy Hook families, agreeing to delay repayment in return for revenue from the re-launched site. Arguments persist that the auction process was biased against them.

Alongside, Jones has initiated a lawsuit against The Onion, Sandy Hook families, and bankruptcy trustee Christopher Murray to contest the sale. Jones argues that legal judgments should not be classified as debts due to potential appeal success. Murray maintains the auction was conducted fairly and that First American United made an inferior bid.

Additionally, X, Elon Musk's social media platform, contested the inclusion of Infowars' social media accounts in the bankruptcy sale, citing ownership rights by X.

(With inputs from agencies.)