Embattled talk-show host Alex Jones received more bad news on Tuesday when the judge in his bankruptcy case announced that he would approve the auctions of his company Free Speech Systems (FSS), which controls his Infowars platform.
Sandy Hook Trials
Money gained from the auctions will be used to help fund the exorbitant $1.5 billion settlement Jones was ordered to pay the families of the Sandy Hook school shooting after two civil juries found him responsible for spreading “conspiracy theories” about the event.
One of those theories involved the use of “crisis actors” being used during the Sandy Hook incident, who Jones claimed were being used to get anti-gun legislation passed. The juries also found Jones guilty of “defamation” and causing “emotional distress.”
Jones’ Assets
According to The Associated Press, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez announced that the auctions may begin as early as November. But he clarified that the trustee overseeing Jones’ personal bankruptcy controls all of the assets of Free Speech Systems. Jones owns the entire company, including all domain names, production equipment, the online store, and even the vitamins and supplements the organization sells.
“FSS will now be sold at auction, meaning Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built,” said Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families. “This brings the families closer to their goal of holding him accountable for the harm he has caused.”
Apparently, several anonymous parties have already expressed interest in acquiring Free Speech Systems. These range from buyers who want to shut down the platform for good, to those who want it to continue. Jones is hoping for the latter, saying recently on his show:
It’s very cut and dry that the assets of Free Speech Systems, the website, the equipment, the shopping cart, all that, can be sold. And they know full well that there are a bunch of patriot buyers, and then the operation can ease on.
Can Speech Be Sold?
Jones has vowed to continue speaking one way or another. That may be through social media, as Tucker Carlson has done, or through a new website.
Court filings suggest the sale may bring about $8 million. That is only a tiny fraction of what Jones has been ordered to pay.
Also at odds is the right to Jones’ official X account, “RealAlexJones.” He currently has 2.8 million followers, and could potentially continue speaking through the platform. His attorneys have argued that the X account remains “the exclusive property of Jones’ natural person,” and that selling it would violate his right to privacy and amount to involuntary servitude under the 13th Amendment.
Meanwhile, the Sandy Hook families, particularly the ones from the suit filed in Connecticut, want Jones to lose all his social media accounts. They suggest he could use them as a future platform. They also believe that they are entitled to a cut of all Jones’s future income.
Thus far, attorneys for the Sandy Hook families have resisted the urge to try to sell Jones’ social media presence. But, wanting to be paid, they will likely attempt to come for that too. It may set up some interesting cases about whether one’s speech can be considered a commodity to be sold off like so many knick-knacks.
It’s funny. Back in 2018 Jones lost most of his social media presence in an attempt to silence him. Now attorneys want to sell that presence in order to get paid.
