A federal judge rejected The Onion’s winning bid to buy Infowars on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The satirical news outlet won the auction to buy Alex Jones’ platform last month.

Jones was forced to put the platform up for sale to help pay $1.5 billion in damages that he owes to the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims for falsely claiming the massacre in Connecticut was a hoax.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said there was a lack of transparency in the auction process. He said The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, failed to maximize value for the victims’ families, though they had given their approval for Infowars to be sold for an undisclosed amount of money.

“I don’t think it’s enough money,” Lopez said. “I’m going to not approve the sale.”

A statement from The Onion about InfoWars. pic.twitter.com/dtiQHSZ9vj

— follow @bencollins on bluesky (@oneunderscore__) December 11, 2024

Onion CEO Ben Collins issued a statement on X, saying, “We are deeply disappointed in today’s decision, but The Onion will continue to seek a resolution that helps the Sandy Hook families receive a positive outcome for the horror they endured.

“…We appreciate that the court repeatedly recognized The Onion acted in good faith, but are disappointed that everyone was sent back to the drawing board with no winner, and no clear path forward for any bidder.”

Because of the ruling, Jones is able to continue to his business. He went live with a broadcast shortly after the ruling saying, “We can celebrate the judge doing the right thing.”