Giuliani Is Fighting $148 Million Defamation Verdict, But Someone Else Has to Pay

Rudi Giuliani filed for bankruptcy days after being ordered to pay $148 million over defamation of two Georgia election workers, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman. He appealed, but since he was not allowed to use his own money, he found two donors, one whose name was revealed.

Giuliani was not allowed to pay for his appeal

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane ruled that Giuliani could appeal the verdict only if he found pre-approved donors to pay for his attorneys. It appears that he had found two “third-party funds.”

The former Mayor is keeping his lawyer

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Giuliani’s attorney, Joseph Sibley, agreed to a flat rate of $50,000, which these two parties will pay. The most intriguing part was noted last week in a filing by Freeman and Moss that alleged that Giuliani’s son was president of Giuliani Defense. The filing stated it was “essential to obtain clarity on how the Legal Defense Funds were themselves funded.”

Mother and daughter testified

At the heart of the defamation suit were numerous allegations the former Mayor made about the two election workers. They both testified, citing that Guiliani’s accusations “changed every aspect of our lives: our homes, our family, our work, our sense of safety, our mental health.”

Another lawsuit

In December, the mother and daughter filed another suit against Guiliani, asking the Judge to “permanently bar” the former Trump attorney from continuing to defame them. The lawsuit came after the former Mayor told Newsmax that “he was in possession of video evidence demonstrating the truth of his allegations.”

Giuliani after the verdict

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Following the verdict, the former NYC Mayor stated, “The absurdity of the number really underscores the absurdity of the entire proceeding.” He continued with the attacks on the two Georgia workers despite the court’s ruling.

The lawyer on the appeal

In the court filing, Giuliani’s attorney, Sibley, wrote, “The Court should have stricken the testimony and instructed the jury to disregard it. Based on this error, the jury returned an exorbitant damages award for reputation injury based on expert testimony that should not have been admitted.”

Giuliani’s spokesman greeted the appeal

Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodman stated, “We very much appreciate the judge’s expeditious consideration of this matter and look forward to proceeding accordingly.”

Who are the donors?

The court filing revealed that one of the donors was Elizabeth Ailes, the widow of former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. While Lane banned Guiliani from paying for his legal troubles, the Judge also requested to know the donors.

More legal battles

Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, is seen during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 18, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) — Image by MANDEL NGAN / AFP

Guiliani is also awaiting further defamation trials, including Hunter Biden’s allegation that he and his ex-lawyer tried to hack his devices. The civil lawsuit from September 2023 accuses Giuliani and Robert Costello of spending years “hacking into, tampering with, manipulating, copying, disseminating, and generally obsessing over data that they were given that was taken or stolen from” his devices.

Voting machine companies and an ex-employee

Guilliani was also sued for defamation by voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic. Dominion famously settled the Fox lawsuit for around $780 million. Another lawsuit came from former employee Noelle Dunphy, who accused the former Mayor of “sexual assault and harassment, wage theft, and other misconduct.” She is asking for $10 million in damages.

Georgia charges

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Giuliani was also one of the co-defendants in the RICO case in Georgia. Among Giuliani’s charges were “racketeering activities” in Georgia and other states. The Georgia RICO charges claim that the accused acted like a “criminal organization.”

What to expect from the latest appeal?

Judge with gavel and papers sitting at wooden table against light grey background, closeup — Illustration. Image by Depositphotos.com

Judge Lane allowed Guiliani to challenge the defamation lawsuit only regarding the size of the rewards. He was not granted the full appeal, and if he wants to challenge the full appeal, Guiliani needs to return to bankruptcy court for approval.