Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy a day after being asked to immediately pay $148M in defamation case
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Donald Trump’s lawyer, has declared bankruptcy after being ordered to pay more than $148 million to two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of fraud.
The bankruptcy filing, which comes one day after a federal judge urged him to pay the women immediately, reveals that Giuliani owes between $100 million and $500 million in debts, mostly from lawsuits, ABC News reports.
Rudy Giuliani was found liable for defamation
On Friday, December 15, a jury in Washington, DC, found Giuliani liable for defamation and awarded the mother-daughter pair, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, nearly $150 million in damages, one of the largest verdicts of its kind in the US history.
The jury also found that Giuliani acted with malice and reckless disregard for the truth.
Rudy Giuliani filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Giuliani filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York on Tuesday, December 19, listing his net worth between $1 million and $10 million, and his debts between $100 million and $500 million.
He wrote that the nature of his debts was “Lawsuits”, as per Independent. He also owes about $1 million in taxes and more than $3.5 million to law firms, according to his petition.
Giuliani’s spokesperson, Ted Goodman, said in a statement that the bankruptcy filing was “a surprise to no one” and that “no person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount."
Chapter 11 would allows Rudy Giuliani to pursue an appeal of the defamation verdict
He added that Chapter 11 would allow Giuliani to pursue an appeal of the defamation verdict while providing transparency for his finances under the supervision of the bankruptcy court.
Election workers seek immediate payment from Rudy Giuliani
However, Freeman and Moss are not willing to wait for Giuliani’s appeal, which could take years. On Monday, December 18, they asked US District Judge Beryl Howell to waive the standard 30-day waiting period and enforce the verdict against Giuliani as soon as possible.
They argued that Giuliani had been an “uncooperative litigant” who had failed to comply with other court orders in the case.
They also expressed concern that Giuliani would try to “conceal his assets” or “alienate or dissipate what assets are available” to avoid paying them. Judge Howell agreed with the women and ordered Giuliani to pay them “immediately” on Wednesday, December 20.
She noted that Giuliani’s claim of financial difficulties was “difficult to square” with his hiring of a spokesperson who accompanied him daily to trial.
