Families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting said in a court filing Thursday that Alex Jones “systematically transferred millions of dollars” to himself and his relatives while claiming bankruptcy to avoid compensating the families in the several lawsuits he faces.
The families of nine Sandy Hook victims asked the federal bankruptcy court judge to order that Jones relinquish control of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Jones’ far-right, conspiracy theory website Infowars.
“Since the Sandy Hook Families filed their lawsuits, the Debtor has systematically transferred millions of dollars to Alex Jones and his relatives and insider entities,” the filing reads. “It claims to owe a massive, secured debt to an insider that was first documented as a loan when the Sandy Hook Families were securing key wins in Connecticut and Texas, but no records show that an actual debt existed before the Sandy Hook Families sued.”
“There are no honest debtors here,” the families say in the filing, adding that Jones was attempting to avoid paying them as they seek damages for falsely claiming that the school shooting, where 20 students and six educators were killed, was a hoax.
Representatives for Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing.
Attorneys for the families said in the filing that, as long as Free Speech Systems possesses and controls its operations, “the Sandy Hook Families’ prospects of a full and fair recovery remain in jeopardy.”
They are asking the court to appoint a committee to investigate Jones and the company’s conduct, and to order Jones to relinquish control of the company and appoint a bankruptcy trustee instead.
The filing states that Jones has claimed that Free Speech Systems owes an “enormous debt” of more than $50 million to PQPR Holdings, a company owned by Jones’ parents.
But according to the filing, 72% of the payments to PQPR go to Jones and his family, and Jones’ claims of bankruptcy are a “centerpiece of Jones’s plan to avoid compensating the Sandy Hook Families.”
Jones faces several accusations related to his false claims that the shooting was a hoax, including of defamation in Texas and Connecticut.
Earlier this month, a Texas jury ordered Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of one of the children killed at Sandy Hook, and another $4.1 million in compensatory damages.
Jones’ attorneys have planned to appeal.
