The purchase of Alex Jones’ Infowars at a bankruptcy auction by satirical news publication The Onion is the latest twist in a years-long saga between the far-right conspiracy theorist and families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The sale was ordered after relatives of many of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 shooting successfully sued Jones and his company for defamation and emotional distress. Jones repeatedly made false claims on his show that the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by crisis actors to encourage more gun control.

Here are some things you need to know about how Jones’ disinformation empire ended up at auction.

Fresh out of high school in the early 1990s, Jones, a heavy-chested Texas native with a gravelly voice, started broadcasting on a public television station in the state’s capital. From the beginning, Jones promoted conspiracies about the US government and false claims about a secret New World Order.

In 2004, Jones had two employees and a small office in south Austin. In 2007, he founded Free Speech Systems to run his growing media company, according to court records from his bankruptcy cases. In 2010, Jones had more than 60 employees.

As the outlandish nature of his false claims grew, so did his media empire, with annual revenues of up to $80 million, and a fan base that at his peak listened to him on more than 100 radio stations in the United States and through his Infowars website and social media.

Jones has acknowledged in court that he promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax perpetrated in part by the U.S. government as part of an effort to expand gun control. He called the parents of murdered children “crisis actors” on his show and said the shooting was “as fake as a three-dollar bill.”

After separate defamation lawsuits were filed in Connecticut and Texas by relatives of the victims, Jones acknowledged in 2022 that the shooting was “100% real” and said it was “absolutely irresponsible” to call it a hoax.

The families of the victims who sued Jones said they were tormented, threatened and abused for years by people who believed the lies told on his show.

Courts in Texas and Connecticut found Jones liable for defamation for his portrayal of the Sandy Hook massacre as a hoax and awarded the families nearly $1.5 billion in damages. In both states, judges issued default judgments holding Jones liable without trial because he failed to respond to court orders and hand over many documents. Juries then heard evidence and decided on the amount of damages, with judges imposing additional penalties.

The auctions were the result of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case, which he filed in late 2022. Many of Jones’ personal assets are also being liquidated to help pay the judgment. Everything from Jones’ studio desk to Infowars’ name, video archive, social media accounts and product trademarks was put up for sale. Buyers could even purchase an armored truck and video cameras.

The Onion has acquired the Infowars website; social media accounts; studio in Austin, Texas; trademarks; and video archive. The sales price was not disclosed.

After the sale was announced, Infowars’ website was offline and Jones broadcast from what he claimed was a new studio location.

Jones vowed to challenge the sale and auction process in court.