Jones’ decision to seek bankruptcy protection for his company, Free Speech Systems, which operates the right-wing conspiracy outlet Infowars, also comes after he was found liable in a separate defamation case in Connecticut. In that Connecticut case, a different group of families similarly sued Jones for false claims he made about the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. Three smaller companies associated with Jones filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, briefly shutting down cases in both Texas and Connecticut. But the families suing Jones dropped the three smaller companies from their lawsuits so the cases against Jones and Free Speech Systems could go forward. Shortly thereafter, the three companies emerged from bankruptcy protection. In a strange legal twist, Jones also filed a complaint Thursday against his own company in Connecticut, a move that could further delay the Connecticut trial. The attorney representing Jones in the Texas defamation case, Federico Antino Reynal, made the disclosure about the bankruptcy filing at the end of court proceedings on Friday. Reynal said the bankruptcy filing should not affect the ongoing litigation. The judge overseeing the trial said proceedings in the case would continue on Monday. It’s unclear, however, how the move will affect things after the jury decides on damages. It’s also unclear how the move will affect the case in Connecticut. An attorney representing the plaintiffs in Texas had no immediate comment. Christopher Mattei, an attorney representing some of the Sandy Hook families in Connecticut, issued a scathing statement to CNN about Jones’ move. “Just two days before jury selection began in Connecticut, Mr. Jones once again fled like a coward to bankruptcy court in a transparent attempt to delay dealing with the families he has been suffering for years,” Mattei said. “These families have an endless well of patience and remain determined to hold Mr. Jones accountable in a Connecticut court. The bankruptcy filing filed Friday sheds a lot of light on Jones’ opaque business. The filing said Free Speech Systems had US$13.1 million in gross profit in 2021 and US$9.3 million in gross profit in the first five months of 2022. However, the filing said Free Speech Systems had US$14.3 million in total liabilities and equity as of May 31, 2022. Earlier this week, the attorney for the two Sandy Hook families suing Jones in Texas, Mark Bankston, asked a jury to award his clients $150 million in damages. “Now that’s a huge verdict to be sure, but it’s a verdict that will do justice to the level of damage done in this case,” Bankston told the jury in his opening statement. “The harm done to the parents, the grieving parents of the murdered children who had to endure for 10 years, the most vile and despicable smear and smear campaign in American history,” Bankston added. Bankston said the $150 million figure amounts to $1 for each person who believes false information about the Sandy Hook shooting pushed by Jones, which he claimed is about 75 million. The additional $75 million would be to compensate the parents for the emotional and mental anguish they have suffered over the past decade due to harassment by Jones and his followers.
