The lead attorney for the bankrupt parent of Alex Jones’ Infowars moved to withdraw from the right-wing media company’s Chapter 11 case, saying his relationship with the chief officer was “fundamentally broken.”
Attorney Ray Battaglia, lead counsel for Free Speech Systems LLC in its bankruptcy since 2022, said a dispute with the company’s appointed chief restructuring officer—accountant J. Patrick Magill—over whether the estate should pursue an unspecified legal claim has eroded their relationship beyond repair .
Battaglia’s request comes amid efforts by the estate to advance a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization intended to address about $1.5 billion in claims held by the families of victims murdered in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Citing failures by Magill to pay his legal fees for January and February, Battaglia asked the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas for permission to withdraw from the case.
“The lack of communications following the argument with the CRO and his blatant retaliation by withholding payment to move is evidence that the lawyer client relationship is fundamentally broken, and the trust required between client and lawyer is irreparably damaged,” Battaglia said in a Feb. 29 filings.
Furthermore, Magill has told Battaglia not to engage in negotiations with counsel for creditors, which runs counter to his legal duties, Battaglia said.
Magill didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Sandy Hook families won defamation judgments against Free Speech and Jones over the right-wing talk show host’s repeated lies calling the 2012 massacre a hoax, prompting both defendants to file for bankruptcy in 2022.
Last month, the families voted 100% in favor of a Chapter 11 plan for Jones that would liquidate and redistribute his property and cash. The plan would preserve potential legal actions against other parties affiliated with Jones and Infowars. The parties have requested to hold a plan approval hearing in Jones’ case in late May.
The case is In re Free Speech Systems LLC, Bankr. SD Tex., No. 22-60043, motion filed 2/29/24.