A judge has paused the sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to satirical news outlet The Onion over concerns about the auction’s transparency. The decision comes as families of Sandy Hook victims back the deal, which would transform Infowars into a parody site focused on far-right conspiracy theories.
According to The Associated Press, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez announced the pause during a court hearing Thursday, Nov. 14, stating that he plans to hold an evidentiary hearing to review the sale.
“We’re all going to an evidentiary hearing, and I’m going to figure out exactly what happened,” Lopez said.
Lopez, presiding in Houston, did not set a date for the hearing but raised concerns over why the auction didn’t include an overbidding round. Walter Cicack, an attorney for First United American Companies, which bid $3.5 million, said his client was not allowed to improve their offer.
Christopher Murray, the trustee overseeing the auction, said The Onion’s bid was deemed better despite not being the highest because some Sandy Hook families agreed to forgo proceeds to pay other creditors.
Alex Jones owes nearly $1.5 billion to these families after falsely claiming the 2012 school shooting was a hoax.
Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, said the company’s bid was intended to prevent Jones from continuing his controversial online presence.
If approved, Infowars would relaunch in January as a satirical site parodying far-right conspiracy theories. Everytown for Gun Safety would serve as the exclusive advertiser, aligning with The Onion’s history of promoting gun law reform through satire.
The judge plans to review the auction process at next week’s hearing, though no date has been set.
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