Alex Jones' Cases Over Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theories to Move Forward Despite Bankruptcy Filing, Texas Judge Rules

A federal bankruptcy judge in Texas has ruled to allow cases to proceed regarding the almost $1.5 billion that Infowars host Alex Jones has been ordered to pay the victims' families of the Sandy Hook school massacre.

But while the cases are allowed to move forward, the families can not yet pursue collection efforts against Jones. According to ABC News, Judge Christopher Lopez approved an order to lift a stay that automatically halted the families' cases when the Infowars host filed for bankruptcy.

Jones' media company, Free Speech Systems, also seeks bankruptcy protection. Alex Jones filed for Chapter 11 personal bankruptcy protection in Texas earlier this month.

Lawyers for Jones, his media company, and the Sandy Hook families had all agreed to the order, which prevented the families from pursuing collection efforts.

Alex Jones Trying to Get His Annual Salary Back

During last Monday's hearing, Alex Jones also asked the judge to reinstate his annual salary worth $1.3 million. After filing for bankruptcy, the conspiracy theorist receives around $40,000 per month. He argued that the $1.3 million amount was listed under his contract.

Christopher Lopez has delayed taking up that motion, which would increase his salary from $40,000 per month to about $54,000 every two weeks. The Houston judge said he will take up the issue at a hearing next month.

According to Yahoo! News, his current salary is just over a third of what he had been paid before. His attorneys also argued that the company's revenue has also dropped to $1.9 million from pre-bankruptcy levels of $6 million to $7 million.

Lopez noted that he is open to increasing Jones' salary but has stated that the conspiracy theorist still needs to present more evidence for him to make a ruling.

The Daily Mail reported that Jones' attorneys argued in court that he cannot pay the $1.5 billion in damages as they still cannot bring the previous production level to make the company profitable again. However, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, Marty Brimmage, opposed the request.

Alex Jones's Sandy Hook Claims Placed Victims' Families in Danger

The mass shooting that happened in the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre brought increased scrutiny for gun rights in the United States, intensifying calls for gun reform.

Some radical right figures, including Alex Jones, pushed back. The Infowars host told his millions of listeners that the school massacre was a hoax and that the families and survivors were just crisis actors.

These conspiracy theories led to the harassment of these families who lost their loved ones in the mass shooting. This made the families sue Alex Jones and his company for defamation, and they won cases in Connecticut and Texas.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Remembering the Sandy Hook Massacre Ten Years Later - From We Are Iowa Local 5 News