Alex Jones’ path out of bankruptcy hinges on his consenting to a proposal from family members of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims that may force the right wing conspiracy theorist to pay them at least $85 million over the next decade, a lawyer for the families said Monday.
If Jones rejects that deal, he would need to sell property and other personal assets to repay a portion of the more-than $1 billion juries have ordered him and his media platform, Infowars, to pay the families for spreading falsehoods about the 2012 massacre, said Sara Brauner, a lawyer representing Sandy Hook families and other Jones creditors.
“The choice is his, really,” Brauner said during a Texas bankruptcy hearing. Any proposal for ending Jones’ bankruptcy will require approval from Sandy Hook families, Brauner said.
The families unveiled the two options they’ve presented Jones in a court filing last week. The 10-year repayment plan would require Jones to pay the families $8.5 million per year plus 50% of any income over $9 million per year, according to court documents.
Jones and Infowars’ parent company filed Chapter 11 last year to withstand defamation lawsuits brought by the Sandy Hook families. Representatives for Jones and the families have held settlement discussions but lawyers said Monday they’re far from reaching a deal that would resolve his bankruptcy.
Jones’ bankruptcy lawyer Vickie Driver said Monday that his creditors’ proposal is unrealistic and denied their allegations that the Infowars host is living extravagantly in Chapter 11. Driver said Jones, like the Sandy Hook families, wants to resolve his bankruptcy as soon as possible and that he’s setting aside funds to pay his property taxes and cover other expenses that will preserve the value of his property.
Monday’s hearing comes after Judge Christopher Lopez, who is overseeing the bankruptcy, ruled last month that Jones can’t use his bankruptcy to discharge defamation judgments against him.
The case is Alexander E. Jones, number 22-33553, in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Houston).
--With assistance from Alex Wolf and James Nani.