A federal bankruptcy judge denied the sale of Alex Jones’s InfoWars to The Onion on Wednesday, citing a lack of transparency in the auction process as reason for rejection.
“I don’t think anyone acted in bad faith here. I think everyone was trying to buy an asset and put their best foot forward and play by the rules,” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said at the conclusion of a two-day hearing, as reported by the Washington Post.
The InfoWars website, widely known as a far right conspiracy theory platform, was sold on Nov. 14 to repay $1.5 billion in damages after Jones falsely claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a “hoax.”
Lopez said the court-appointed trustee Christopher Murray, who is overseeing the sale of Jones’s possessions, “did not maximize value in any way, based on the record before me.”
Murray argued the ordeal was a “fair and open auction process” in court filings.
The Onion won the bid despite offering a lower buyout at $1.75 million in cash.
“We can celebrate the judge doing the right thing with the most ridiculous, fraudulent auction known in human history,” Jones said after being notified of the hearing’s outcome.
First United American Companies, a group associated with Jones, submitted a bid of $3.5 million for InfoWars. However, the Sandy Hook families supported The Onion’s purchase, agreeing to forgo a portion of their award to bolster the satirical newspaper’s bid.
“We are deeply disappointed in today’s decision, but The Onion will continue to seek a resolution that helps the Sandy Hook families receive a positive outcome for the horror they endured,” Ben Collins, CEO of Global Tetrahedron, which owns The Onion, wrote in a post on X.
“We will continue to seek a path towards purchasing InfoWars in the coming weeks.”
Jones has already begun establishing backup accounts and has also created his own studio in lieu of the court proceedings. He stated that he would continue running the InfoWars platforms if the auction winner is friendly, according to the Associated Press.