Changing the bidding process days in advance and then accepting the lower bid (out of two) seems less normal though. I think it's obvious they're trying to stop Jones and his associates from simply buying back the business.

I'm not sure of the legal details but apparently the judge had misgivings about the procedure so here we are

A trustee's responsibility is to creditors. While directing the disposition of assets, a trustee may judge that a secondary offer better serves the creditors.

In this case, the creditors are the Sandy Hook families who were wronged by Jones. It is my understanding that they had a hand in The Onion's offer. I suspect they signaled a desire for this sale to the trustee - but that is just a guess.

source:prepped personal bankruptcy cases for a couple of years