The Onion's ambitious plan to acquire Alex Jones' Infowars platforms and transform them into parody sites has hit another legal snag, as a Texas appeals court temporarily halted the proposed deal. The satirical news outlet had sought to take over the assets of Infowars, which is facing liquidation due to over $1 billion in defamation judgments against Jones for falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
Legal Proceedings Paused
A state judge in Texas had scheduled a hearing for Thursday to approve the deal, which would grant The Onion temporary authority over Infowars' trademarks, copyrights, and intellectual property while a receiver works toward liquidation. However, the hearing turned into a status conference after the Texas Third Court of Appeals granted an emergency motion filed by Jones' lawyers, temporarily blocking the transfer of any Infowars assets. The judge has rescheduled the hearing for May 28.
Reactions from The Onion and Sandy Hook Families
Lawyers representing the families of Sandy Hook victims had asked the Texas Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court ruling ahead of Thursday's proceedings. Ben Collins, The Onion's CEO, expressed frustration in a social media post, calling the legal stalling "insane" and "unprecedented." He added, "This does nothing but delay our deal with the receiver to take control of InfoWars. We now expect new traps in Alex Jones' amoral war to deny paying the Sandy Hook families, but we're freshly surprised by the U.S. legal system's appetite to put up with it."
Jones, meanwhile, declared victory in videos posted on his social media sites Wednesday night, claiming The Onion's plan was illegal because he has pending court appeals. "I said days ago there's no way the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas doesn't overturn this — you know they're all Democrats — because it's so outrageous what you've done," Jones wrote.
The ongoing legal battle underscores the complexities of the defamation case and the efforts to hold Jones accountable while determining the fate of his media empire.
