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Sandy Hook families who won nearly $1.5 billion in legal judgments against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for calling the 2012 Connecticut school shooting a hoax have offered to settle that debt for only pennies on the dollar — at least $85 million over 10 years. His time is up," lawyers for the Sandy Hook families wrote. But this month, a court-appointed restructuring officer upped Jones' pay to about $57,700 biweekly, or $1.5 million a year, saying he has been “grossly” underpaid for how vital he is to the media company. If Jones doesn't accept the families' offer, Lopez would determine how much he would pay the families and other creditors. Relatives, of many but not all, of the Sandy Hook victims sued Jones in Connecticut and Texas, winning nearly $1.5 billion in judgments against him.

Persons: Sandy Hook, Alex Jones, Jones, “ Jones, Vickie Driver, ”, Christopher Lopez, Lopez, Jones ’ Organizations: Free Speech Systems, Speech Systems, Monday, Sandy Hook Elementary Locations: Connecticut, Houston, Sandy, Newtown , Connecticut, Texas

Infowars founder Alex Jones arrives to speak to the media after appearing at his Sandy Hook defamation trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S., October 4, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones cannot use his personal bankruptcy to escape paying at least $1.1 billion in defamation damages stemming from his repeated lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, a U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday. Courts in Connecticut and Texas have already ruled that Jones intentionally defamed relatives of school children killed in the mass shooting, and they have ordered Jones to pay $1.5 billion in damages. Lopez ruled that more than $1.1 billion of those verdicts, awarded for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, cannot be wiped away in bankruptcy. Attorneys for Jones and the Sandy Hook families did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Alex Jones, Sandy Hook, Mike Segar, Christopher Lopez, Jones, Lopez, defaming Leonard Pozner, Veronique De La Rosa, Noah, Dietrich Knauth, Diane Craft, David Gregorio, Alexia Garamfalvi, Rod Nickel Organizations: Connecticut Superior, REUTERS, U.S, Sandy Hook Elementary, Free Speech Systems, CNN, Thomson Locations: Waterbury , Connecticut, U.S, Houston , Texas, Connecticut, Texas, Newtown , Connecticut

Since Jones and his company are bankrupt, the trials would not normally be allowed to proceed without bankruptcy court permission. Jones has said that he can not afford to pay the Sandy Hook defamation judgments, and is attempting to resolve all legal claims against him through a settlement in bankruptcy. Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose six-year-old son Noah was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, would proceed to trial in October. Without a placeholder value, the Texas defamation claims could be given far less weight than the defamation claims that have already resulted in $1.5 billion in verdicts, according to Jones’ court filings. The case is Alex Jones, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, No.

Persons: Sandy Hook, Alex Jones, Jones, Christopher Lopez, Lopez, Sandy, Leonard Pozner, Veronique De La Rosa, Noah, De, De La Rosa, Marcel Fontaine, Fontaine, De La, Fontaine's, Jennifer Hardy, Vickie Driver, Crowe, Ray Battaglia, Pozner, Willkie Farr, Gallagher Read, Dietrich Knauth Organizations: U.S, Speech Systems, De La, CNN, Bankruptcy, Southern, Southern District of, Dunlevy, Systems, Thomson Locations: U.S, Houston, Newtown , Connecticut, Texas, Parkland , Florida, Southern District, Southern District of Texas

☆ Inside Infowars' crumbling empire: Ex-Staffers reveal the 'volatile' and 'unhinged' atmosphere working for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Tom Porter | Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

One afternoon in the spring of 2017 Alex Jones furiously lunged at his video producer. According to Jacobson, Jones had to be restrained by another Infowars staffer lest he actually hurt him. Alex Jones did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Owens also said he felt guilty about his complicity in promoting the Sandy Hook conspiracy theories during his time working there. "People hearing the words Sandy Hook, they automatically think Alex Jones," she added.

Persons: Alex Jones, lunged, Robert Jacobson, Jones, Jacobson, hawking, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Alex, baselessly, David, doesn't, Sandy Hooks, Sandy Hook, Josh Owens, Owens, Marjorie Taylor Greene, John Travolta, badgering, George, we're, Jone, Nuri Vallbona, lackey, …, That's, I'm, Christmas Jones, Kelly, David Duke, Duke, Infowars, He'd, David McCullough, Christopher Jordan, Jordan, they're, Megan Squire, Squire, Dave Mustain, Tim Kennedy, Donald Trump, Chris Mattei, Judge Barbara Bellis, Daria Karpova, Karpova, " Jacobson, he'll, He'll Organizations: Austin, Austin Community, Facebook, Factory, Infowars, Iron, Alamo, New York Times Magazine, REUTERS, New, Senate, Housing, Southern Poverty Law Center, San Diego, Free Speech Systems, YouTube, Sandy, Connecticut Superior, Associated Locations: Austin, Texas, USA, Infowars, Atlanta, Austin , Texas, U.S, New York City, Louisiana, Infowar, Newtown, Connecticut, New Orleans, Waterbury, Conn

NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) - The families of Sandy Hook victims are preparing to sue Alex Jones' wife and other family members to help satisfy $1.5 billion in judgments they won from lawsuits against the bankrupt right wing conspiracy theorist over his lies about the deadly 2012 U.S. school massacre. The families have a "very strong case" to claw back certain payments to Jones' family, including a $1 million payment from Jones to his wife, Zensky said. "You can imagine that if someone was to sue their wife over transfers, that's a little hard in the home," Driver said. The families have accused Jones and FSS of profiting off lies about the shooting for years and sued him for defamation. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, who is overseeing the bankruptcies, said Jones and the Sandy Hook families should make one last effort to reach a settlement.

☆ Alex Jones is transferring his money away so he doesn't have to pay Sandy Hook victims, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Alex Jones owes families of Sandy Hook victims close to $1.5 billion. Jones has been transferring his assets to family and friends, The New York Times reported. The Times reported that Jones' company, Free Speech Systems, has already transferred tens of thousands of dollars to another company he owns with his parents. And he's started new business partnerships with companies founded and owned by his friends, the Times reported. Jones is still broadcasting Infowars, and The Times reported his lawyers have said in court that business is "booming."

☆ Alex Jones is trying to swing a bankruptcy plan where he still gets paid $520,000 a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones filed for bankruptcy, but he wants to be paid $520,000 per year. Jones owes around $1.5 billion to the relatives of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems — which he fully owns — filed for bankruptcy separately in December and July, respectively. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, Free Speech Systems filed a reorganization proposal on Tuesday. It sources some of its products from a company called PQPR Holdings, to which Free Speech Systems owes $54 million.

The Sandy Hook families said that they need specialized assistance to review Jones' assets, income, and ability to pay those verdicts. Jones filed preliminary financial statements earlier in February, but listed several trusts that held unknown assets. Jones filed for personal bankruptcy in December, saying he could afford to pay less than 1% of the judgments handed down in two Sandy Hook defamation trials. Lopez will decide in March if Jones has to face a third Sandy Hook defamation trial. The Sandy Hook families have expressed concern that Jones is using bankruptcy to limit payments on the defamation judgments while attempting to collect income outside of the bankruptcy court's oversight.

It would be the third defamation trial against Jones and his company Free Speech Systems, after two previous ones found Jones and FSS liable for a combined $1.5 billion in damages. A Texas court previously found them liable and the proposed trial would determine how much Jones owes the parents. He estimated a two-week trial would cost $600,000, reducing the amount of money available to pay Pozner, De La Rosa and other Sandy Hook parents with legal claims against him. Jones filed for personal bankruptcy in December after those two trials concluded, saying he could afford to pay less than 1% of the Sandy Hook defamation judgments. Sandy Hook parents raised concerns at Tuesday's hearing about Jones's recent recording of a podcast similar to his Alex Jones Show in a new studio space and under a brand not affiliated with FSS.

Companies Free Speech Systems, Llc FollowDec 19 (Reuters) - Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Monday asked a judge to allow him to take a $1.3 million annual salary from the bankrupt parent company of his Infowars' website. Jones drew a $1.3 million salary from Free Speech Systems before its bankruptcy, and his attorney asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez to restore his salary to that level at a hearing Monday. Free Speech System's monthly revenue has dropped to $1.9 million from pre-bankruptcy levels of $6 million to $7 million, attorneys from the company said, adding that it currently has about $1.8 million in cash. Marty Brimmage, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, opposed Jones' request for an increased salary. Lopez said he is "open to increasing" Jones' pay but did not have enough evidence to make a ruling yet.

In the first hearing of Jones' bankruptcy in a Houston court, his attorney Vickie Driver said Jones wanted to settle with the Sandy Hook families. They won $1.5 billion in defamation trials over Jones' lies about the 2012 school shooting. David Zensky, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said Jones lied for years about the Sandy Hook shooting and concealed information about his companies InfoWars and Free Speech Systems. InfoWars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, which is owned by Jones, filed for bankruptcy in July, before courts in Texas and Connecticut determined the amount of Jones' liability for the Sandy Hook defamation claims. Jones has said that he will appeal the Sandy Hook verdicts if he is unable to reach a settlement in bankruptcy.

☆ Alex Jones, who mocked Sandy Hook families and swore they'd never be paid, says he has less than 1% of what he owes them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Alex Jones owes families of the Sandy Hook shooting nearly $1.5 billion after two trials. Jones was ordered to pay the damages to the families of the Sandy Hook victims following a series of defamation trials this year. InfoWars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, declared bankruptcy over the summer, and Jones declared personal bankruptcy in a Texas court filing last month. In the first hearing of Jones' bankruptcy in the court on Wednesday, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families questioned whether Jones was lying about his finances. The conspiracy theorist spent years pushing false theories about the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, in which 20 first graders and six adults were killed.

Jones filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Houston, a court filing showed. The filing said Jones has between $1 million and $10 million of assets and between $1 billion and $10 billion of liabilities. In October, a Connecticut jury in a case brought by relatives of more than a dozen Sandy Hook victims ordered Jones and Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, to pay nearly $1 billion in damages. Jones claimed for years that the 2012 killing of 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was staged with actors as part of a government plot to seize Americans’ guns. In addition to the $1 billion compensatory damages, Jones was ordered to pay $473 million in punitive damages in the Connecticut case.

☆ Alex Jones files for bankruptcy protection, lists Sandy Hook families as creditors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Alex Jones arrives at the court house as he faces a second defamation trial over Sandy Hook claims in Waterbury, Connecticut, September 22, 2022. Jones filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, court records show. An attorney for the Sandy Hook families told CNBC in an email, "Like every other cowardly move Alex Jones has made, this bankruptcy will not work." A Connecticut jury in October ordered Jones to pay nearly $1 billion in damages to Sandy Hook relatives. Relatives of Sandy Hook victims have said the harassment they received on the heels of the shooting by people who believed the massacre was a hoax has continued until this year.

☆ Alex Jones transferred millions from his InfoWars parent company to entities controlled by friends and family ahead of billion dollar damage awards in Sandy Hook cases, WaPo reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

WaPo reported Alex Jones transferred millions from InfoWars' parent company ahead of its bankruptcy. Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages related to lies he spread about Sandy Hook. "In the middle of this lawsuit, they started documenting debts that had no evidence of existing beforehand," Sandy Hook attorney Avi Moshenberg told the Post. Jones' lies about the Sandy Hook shooting have spread pervasively since he began amplifying conspiracy theories that the shooting was faked and the victims' families were crisis actors. Representatives for Jones and Raymond Battaglia, a lawyer for Free Speech Systems, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Briana Sanchez/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoDALLAS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Tuesday failed in his bid to slash a nearly $50 million defamation verdict against him over his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax. The judge in that case tacked on an additional $473 million in punitive damages for Jones’ “cruel” conduct earlier this month. Evidence in both cases showed that bogus Sandy Hook claims turbocharged traffic to Infowars and drove sales of its products, including supplements and doomsday supplies. The Sandy Hook families have intervened in the case, alleging Jones is using the proceedings to shield his assets and avoid paying. Another defamation lawsuit against Jones brought by Sandy Hook parents is set to go to trial in Austin, Texas, in March.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company were ordered Thursday to pay an additional $473 million in punitive damages to families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre over promoting the falsehood that the 2012 school shooting was a hoax. Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, told The Associated Press he hoped that the punitive damages awarded Thursday send a message to conspiracy theorists who profit from lies. Twenty children and six educators were killed after a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and opened fire on Dec. 14, 2012. The Connecticut trial was the second related to his Sandy Hook conspiracy theories. In August, a Texas jury ordered Jones to pay nearly $50 million in damages to Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, whose son Jesse was killed in the massacre.

Nov 10 (Reuters) - Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay $473 million in punitive damages for his defamatory claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting, a Connecticut judge ruled on Thursday. On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman murdered his mother, then killed 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School before killing himself. Some experts doubt the move will offer much protection for Jones’ assets, even if he is not able to pay the full judgments against him. The Sandy Hook families have intervened in the case, urging a judge to freeze Free Speech Systems' assets and investigate its finances. They claim Jones pulled $62 million from the company while burdening it with $65 million in “fabricated” debt.

☆ Alex Jones seeks new trial after $1B Sandy Hook verdict
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the 15 plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Jones, declined to comment on the filing Saturday, but said he and other attorneys for the Sandy Hook families will be filing a brief opposing Jones’ request. Twenty first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School died in the attack on Dec. 14, 2012. The verdicts came after another jury in Texas in August ordered Jones and his company to pay nearly $50 million in damages to the parents of another slain Sandy Hook child. A third trial over the hoax claims, involving two more Sandy Hook parents, is expected to be held near the end of the year in Texas. Pattis, Jones’ lawyer, wrote in the motions filed Friday that there was a lack of evidence directly connecting Jones with the people who harassed and threatened the Sandy Hook families.

An attorney for Jones, Norm Pattis, said in an email Friday that he is confident the verdict will be reversed on appeal. The families say they suffered a decade of harassment and death threats from people who believed the bogus claims. The Connecticut jury found Jones and Infowars parent company Free Speech Systems LLC should also pay punitive damages, which are set to be determined by a judge after several days of hearings next month. In their filing Friday, the families offered various methods of calculating punitive damages in similar cases. The Connecticut verdict came several months after a jury in Texas awarded two Sandy Hook parents $49.3 million in damages.

☆ Alex Jones seeks new trial after $1 billion Sandy Hook verdict
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Alex Jones arrives at the court house as he faces a second defamation trial over Sandy Hook claims in Waterbury, Connecticut, September 22, 2022. Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the 15 plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Jones, declined to comment on the filing Saturday, but said he and other attorneys for the Sandy Hook families will be filing a brief opposing Jones' request. Twenty first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School died in the attack on Dec. 14, 2012. A third trial over the hoax claims, involving two more Sandy Hook parents, is expected to be held near the end of the year in Texas. Pattis, Jones' lawyer, wrote in the motions filed Friday that there was a lack of evidence directly connecting Jones with the people who harassed and threatened the Sandy Hook families.

☆ Alex Jones faces long odds hiding assets after $1 billion Sandy Hook verdict
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jack Queen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It also comes three months after a Texas jury awarded two Sandy Hook parents $49.3 million in a similar case. An economist in the Texas case estimated that Jones is personally worth between $135 million and $270 million. “No bankruptcy judge would allow Alex Jones and his dad to stand in line in front of the plaintiffs,” Myers said. 'EGREGIOUS' CONDUCTInfowars founder Alex Jones speaks to the media after appearing at his Sandy Hook defamation trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S., October 4, 2022. D’Amico said a billion-dollar verdict is appropriate given the uniquely tragic circumstances of the case and egregious nature of Jones’ conduct.

“He may be forced to live a subsistence type of life,” said Richard Signorelli, a New York attorney and former federal prosecutor. Jones and his companies today are worth $135 million to $270 million, forensic economist Bernard Pettingill testified in August at another defamation trial for Jones in Texas. The amount eventually paid out by Jones may be less, according to Ryan O’Neill, a defamation lawyer and professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law. If it is found to be dischargeable, Jones would be required to make disclosures about his finances, Gessin said. “I don’t think he’s going to be able to escape this judgment,” he said.

☆ How much will Sandy Hook parents actually get from Alex Jones?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN Business —Alex Jones owes $965 million to eight family members of Sandy Hook shooting victims and a first responder. Jones was hit with that staggering jury award Wednesday for compensatory damages caused by his repeated lies about the shooting. Plaintiffs in the case said the reason they sued was to stop Alex Jones from continuing to spread lies and hurt other people. The fact that Jones might be reviled, and the plaintiffs are so sympathetic, shouldn’t be a factor, he added. “In the justice system, Alex Jones and Mother Teresa should be treated the same,” Rustad said.

REUTERS/Michelle McLoughlinOct 12 (Reuters) - A Connecticut jury on Wednesday ordered U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $965 million for spreading falsehoods about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting. December 2012 - A gunman kills 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, using a Remington Bushmaster rifle. May 23, 2018 - Fourteen relatives of Sandy Hook victims sue Jones and four entities connected to Jones in Connecticut state court. Oct. 31, 2018 - Another Sandy Hook parent sues Jones and Free Speech Systems in Texas, where Jones' radio show and webcast are based. The case was dismissed in June after the Sandy Hook parents intervened, arguing it was a stall tactic.

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