Texas judge delays Alex Jones trial after Infowars files bankruptcy
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A judge in Texas has delayed the trial to determine how much Alex Jones should pay Sandy Hook families as Infowars seeks bankruptcy protection.
The defamation awards trial was supposed to begin on Monday to determine how much money Jones will pay the parents of a slain Sandy Hook boy after making claims that the massacre of 26 first-graders and educators in 2012 was a staged hoax.
During a Wednesday hearing in Austin, Travis County District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said, "As soon as I do get a remand (from bankruptcy court) I will be resetting this trial. We are going to go to trial as soon as I possibly can."
The delay comes days after Infowars and two other companies tied to Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas.
Jones has lost defamation lawsuits in Texas and Connecticut over his comments about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
A new trial date has not been set.
Attorneys for Sandy Hook families have accused Jones of trying to hide millions of dollars in assets. Creditors listed in Infowars' bankruptcy filing include relatives of some of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 school massacre in Connecticut.
Austin is the headquarters of Jones' Infowars broadcast and marketing platform.