InfoWars Relaunches as Bankruptcy Judge Questions Auction to The Onion

Well, it turns retired that The Onion’s acquisition of InfoWars is not a done deal. Following an auction process connected Thursday that drew headlines crossed the media scenery for its absurdity, the Texas justice overseeing the bankruptcy merchantability has raised questions astir however the auction was conducted. A proceeding has been called for adjacent week to reappraisal the auction process.

InfoWars is simply a fringe, right-wing website founded successful 1999 and operated by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The website was shuttered connected Thursday pursuing the decision of the auction, but has since relaunched aft Judge Christopher Lopez paused the sale. Jones was recovered blameworthy of defamation aft claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax, causing families who mislaid children successful the calamity to look important harassment. A justice yet ordered Jones to wage astir $1.5 cardinal successful damages pursuing lawsuits successful some Texas and Connecticut. Jones has since conceded that the shooting did occur.

“We’re each going to an evidentiary hearing, and I’m going to fig retired precisely what happened,” the justice reportedly said, according to the Associated Press. “No 1 should consciousness comfy with the results of this auction.”

In a connection to Gizmodo, Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion said, “The associated bid from Global Tetrahedron and the Connecticut families has been selected arsenic the winning bid for InfoWars. The merchantability is presently underway arsenic portion of the modular processes.”

At the halfway of Judge Lopez’s skepticism seems to beryllium the information that The Onion’s currency bid was little than that of First United American Companies, an enactment that appears to run Jones’ cash-making supplement business. InfoWars is persona non grata to astir advertisers, but has pulled successful tens of millions of dollars per twelvemonth successful income of supplements with names similar “Brain Force Ultra” and “Survival Shield X-2.”

First United American Companies offered a reported $3.5 cardinal for InfoWars, which was higher than The Onion’s currency offer, presumably with the intent of allowing Jones to proceed broadcasting his regular quality show. But the trustee overseeing the bankruptcy auction, Christopher Murray, said successful tribunal that The Onion’s bid was the champion contempt having a little currency magnitude due to the fact that the satirical quality enactment had teamed up with families of the Sandy Hook shooting, who would forgo immoderate damages from their palmy defamation lawsuit against Jones to enactment the bid.

It’s inactive unclear what the operation of The Onion’s connection looked like, oregon however it was amended than First United’s currency bid. First United’s attorneys told the justice connected Thursday that the trustee changed the auction process lone days before, omitting a last circular that would person fixed them different accidental to outbid The Onion.

The Onion has said it would relaunch InfoWars arsenic a “relentless barrage of wit for good.”