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    Giuliani Can Pursue New Trial in $148M Defamation Case

    Law 3 Mins Read

    As first appeared in NewsBreak

    By Aron Solomon

    Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, was granted approval on Friday by a New York bankruptcy court to pursue a new trial for the $148 million in damages he was ordered to pay for defaming two Georgia poll workers.

    Rudy Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million in damages for defaming two Georgia poll workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The defamation verdict was based on Giuliani’s false claims that the two workers conspired to rig the 2020 election, which led to harassment and harm. The jury’s unanimous decision included $75 million in punitive damages to deter future misconduct. 

    The case was brought to court after Giuliani refused to preserve and turn over key evidence, leading to a default judgment against him in August. The plaintiffs expressed concerns about Giuliani’s escalating debts and insolvency, fearing that he might evade payments. As a result, they sought a court order to prevent him from spreading further false claims and to move on his assets before they could be dissipated.

    As Attorney Richard DiTomaso, Esq. points out, “It’s standard practice for someone who has won a significant verdict to engage the court to preserve the assets of the losing party.”

    Friday’s decision comes after a U.S. bankruptcy judge gave Giuliani limited permission to challenge the defamation verdict. During a two-hour Zoom hearing, Giuliani’s attorney informed the judge that the former mayor lacks the funds to pay the $148 million he owes, and the judge agreed to the procedural step with certain conditions. 

    Some of Giuliani’s creditors have expressed concerns that he is taking advantage of the bankruptcy, and there is a legitimate concern about the expenses, cost, and delay. The bankruptcy filing has brought forth a diverse coalition of creditors, including the election workers, a supermarket employee, elections technology companies, and a woman who alleges that Giuliani coerced her into sex.

    Giuliani’s legal troubles also include criminal cases related to election interference, where he faces the most criminal counts among his co-defendants. In fact, Guiliani is involved in eleven court cases, making his legal future remarkably uncertain.

    About Aron Solomon

    A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the Chief Legal Analyst for Esquire Digital and the Editor-in-Chief for Today’s Esquire. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world. Aron has been featured in Forbes, CBS News, CNBC, USA Today, ESPN, TechCrunch, The Hill, BuzzFeed, Fortune, Venture Beat, The Independent, Fortune China, Yahoo!, ABA Journal, Law.com, The Boston Globe, YouTube, NewsBreak, and many other leading publications.

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