VICTORIA, Texas (AP) — Infowars filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety as the web site’s founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones faces defamation lawsuits over his feedback that the Sandy Hook Elementary School taking pictures was a hoax.
The chapter submitting Sunday in Texas places civil litigation on maintain whereas the enterprise reorganizes its funds.
In its courtroom submitting, Infowars mentioned it had estimated belongings of $50,000 or much less and estimated liabilities of $1 million to $10 million. Creditors listed within the chapter submitting embody family members of a few of the 20 kids and 6 educators killed within the 2012 faculty bloodbath in Connecticut.
The plaintiffs in that case have mentioned they’ve been subjected to harassment and demise threats from Jones’ followers due to the hoax conspiracy that Jones promoted. Jones has since conceded the taking pictures did occur. The households have already gained defamation lawsuits in opposition to Jones.
“Alex Jones is just delaying the inevitable: a public trial in which he will be held accountable for his profit-driven campaign of lies against the Sandy Hook families who have brought this lawsuit,” mentioned Christopher Mattei, who represents the households in a Connecticut lawsuit in opposition to Jones.
An lawyer for Jones didn’t instantly return a message searching for remark Monday.
Last month, Jones was fined $75,000 for failing to seem for a deposition in a defamation case however a decide final week ordered the return of the cash as a result of Jones finally confirmed up.
Another newly filed lawsuit accuses Jones of hiding thousands and thousands of {dollars} in belongings, however an lawyer for Jones has referred to as that allegation “ridiculous.”
Neil Heslin, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, died within the Newtown faculty taking pictures, mentioned he didn’t instantly understand how the chapter will have an effect on his defamation lawsuit in opposition to Jones in Texas, the place a trial on how a lot cash in damages Jones ought to pay the households is about to start subsequent week.
“It is what it is,” Heslin mentioned. “We’ll see where it all goes. He’s tried everything to avoid everything.”
___
Associated Press author Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”