The Onion’s plan to buy Alex Jones’ Infowars hit a major snag Tuesday night when a bankruptcy judge rejected the auction process that led to The Onion being named the highest bidder.
Judge Christopher Lopez of Houston ruled that the bidding operation for the auction was flawed and blocked the humor site from purchasing Infowars at this time.
The Onion may still be able to acquire Infowars, but it’s not yet clear how the sale will proceed. The site is being sold to help cover what Jones owes to families affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who successfully sued him for defamation after he repeatedly claimed that the shooting was a hoax.
Lopez has asked the trustee overseeing the Infowars sale to come up with a new, fairer plan to determine a new owner, according to The Associated Press.
Infowars auction
As it pursues ownership of Infowars, The Onion is squaring off against another Jones-affiliated company, First United American Companies, as the Deseret News previously reported.
First United American’s November bid for Infowars was $3.5 million, while The Onion offered $1.75 million.
Despite the smaller dollar amount, auction authorities declared The Onion the winner, since its bid included a pledge from some Sandy Hook families to relinquish the money owed to them by Jones and allow it to go to other creditors.
Jones and First United American Companies said the auction was unfair and successfully convinced Lopez to overturn it.
Future of Infowars
After the judge issued his ruling Tuesday, Jones went on air to celebrate his victory, according to The Associated Press.
“We can celebrate the judge doing the right thing with the most ridiculous, fraudulent auction known in human history,” he said.
Meanwhile, The Onion and an attorney representing some of the families who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook shooting released statements criticizing Tuesday’s decision and promising they won’t give up.
“These families, who have already persevered through countless delays and roadblocks, remain resilient and determined as ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt businesses accountable for the harm he has caused,” the attorney said in a statement, per The Associated Press. “This decision doesn’t change the fact that, soon, Alex Jones will begin to pay his debt to these families and he will continue doing so for as long as it takes.”