AUSTIN, Texas (AP) 鈥� plan to take over the Infowars platforms that built into a bullhorn of conspiracy theories and turn them into parody sites was in limbo again Thursday, after a Texas court paused a proposed deal involving the satirical news outlet.
Austin-based Infowars is facing liquidation because of the more than Jones owes relatives of victims of the 2012 for calling the Connecticut massacre a hoax. The proposed licensing deal would give The Onion temporary authority to use Infowars’ trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property while a state receiver in Texas works toward liquidation.
A state judge in Austin had scheduled a hearing Thursday on whether to approve with the receiver. But the proceeding fizzled into a status conference because the Texas Third Court of Appeals late Wednesday approved an emergency motion by Jones鈥� lawyers that temporarily blocked the transfer of any Infowars assets. The judge set another hearing for May 28.
Lawyers for the Sandy Hook families had asked the Texas Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court ruling, but the high court did not issue a decision before Thursday’s hearing.
鈥淭his newly insane, unprecedented legal stalling does nothing but delay our deal with the receiver to take control of InfoWars,鈥� Ben Collins, The Onion’s CEO, said in a social media post ahead of the hearing. 鈥淲e now expect new traps in Alex Jones鈥� amoral war to deny paying the Sandy Hook families, but we鈥檙e freshly surprised by the U.S. legal system鈥檚 appetite to put up with it.鈥�
The Onion already has been selling Infowars merchandise on its own website, including T-shirts and tote bags with an Infowars logo that replaces the 鈥渙鈥� with its trademark onion image. It wants to turn the Infowars platforms into comedy sites that would include spoofing Jones, conspiracy theories and right-wing talking points, while giving revenue to the Sandy Hook victims鈥� relatives.
Jones declared victory in videos posted on his social media sites after the appellate court ruling. He called The Onion’s plan illegal, citing pending appeals and his continuing personal bankruptcy case.
鈥淚 said days ago there鈥檚 no way the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas doesn鈥檛 overturn this 鈥� you know they鈥檙e all Democrats 鈥� because it鈥檚 so outrageous what you鈥檝e done,鈥� Jones said.
After Thursday鈥檚 hearing, Mark Bankston, a lawyer for some of the Sandy Hook victims鈥� relatives, accused Jones of delaying the liquidation of Infowars numerous times with court filings.
鈥淎s far as the world is concerned, Infowars is dead. Everybody knows that,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 trying to keep the bloated corpse of a media organization alive. It鈥檚 all a joke. Everybody knows where this is going.鈥�
It鈥檚 not the first time The Onion has hit a legal setback in plans to take over Infowars.
In November 2024, the Chicago-based satirical outlet was named the winner of a bankruptcy court auction of the assets of Infowars鈥� parent company, Free Speech Systems, aimed at helping pay some of the defamation judgments. But a federal judge , citing problems with process and The Onion鈥檚 bid.
Jones said on his show this week that he has a new studio nearing completion. He already has set up a new phone app and websites, including one that sells the dietary supplements, clothing and other merchandise he hawks on his shows. And his personal X account, where he posts videos of his shows and has 4.5 million followers, is not affected by any of the court cases.
On Thursday night, Jones toasted to his crew and viewers during a livestream on X as a clock ticked down to when he said his final moments in the building would hit.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not here anymore because they鈥檙e turning the power off at midnight,鈥� he said.
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Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
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