(IntegrityPress.org) – Infowars host Alex Jones is still on the hook for almost $1 billion dollars in spite of his Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, according to an October 19 ruling from the judge in his case. Texas Judge Chrisopher Lopez’ decision will not allow Jones to use normally afforded protections to avoid paying out his obligations to living family members from the Sandy Hook massacre.
In 2012, Jones claimed that the well-covered mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut was at least partially hoaxed. He later recanted his statements when faced with the reality of 26 people having been killed, but many considered his actions to be too little too late. Fifteen surviving relatives of the dead successfully sued Jones and a jury saw fit to award them damages totaling $965 million.
No matter what one’s opinion on Jones’ past comments regarding Sandy Hook are, many saw his case as an establishment attempt to stifle free speech and shut down independent broadcasters. In addition to many others, both Tucker Carlson and Bill Maher have come to his defense. Maher, one of the nation’s most outspoken liberals, criticized a 2018 decision by YouTube administrators to ban the host.
Despite Jones having a massive fan base, mainstream media continues to portray him with designators like “conspiracy theorist” and “right-wing provocateur.” Jones has previously indicated that the exorbitant penalty imposed upon him by the court was a symbolic warning to those who speak out against the so-called powers that be.
According to reports, Lopez’ ruling eliminates the possibility of the host liquidating his media assets and forcing the plaintiffs to accept the resulting proceeds as payment. Should he do that and begin a new broadcast company, his debt to the victims will still remain.
The success of Jones’ Infowars platform comes despite the fact that legacy outlets and search engines appear to have largely scrubbed any content that could be considered favorable to Infowars.
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