A bankruptcy judge has permitted former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to appeal his $148 million defamation award to Georgia election workers – with the condition he would not be spending his own money on lawyers.
On Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane entered a court order allowing Giuliani, 79, to seek a new trial and challenge the amount of damages awarded to Wandrea ‘Shaye’ Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, whom Giuliani had falsely accused of fraud after former Republican President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss.
Lane prohibited Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer from spending his own money on further litigation in the Georgia defamation case, requiring Giuliani to pay his attorneys with donations received by two legal defense funds.
In December, Giuliani was ordered to immediately pay $148 million in damages to the mother-daughter duo after a Washington, D.C., jury deliberated for ten hours before they came back with a unanimous verdict.
Less than a week after he was ordered to pay up but said he could not afford to do so, he was spotted in Manhattan shopping for jewelry.
A bankruptcy judge has permitted former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to appeal his $148 million defamation damages to Georgia election workers
Giuliani had been ordered by a court to pay $148 million to Georgia election workers Shaye Moss (left) and Ruby Freeman (right) after a defamation case
Rudy Giuliani was spotted shopping for jewelry in Manhattan, less than a week after he was ordered to pay $148 million for defaming two Georgia election workers
The former New York mayor’s lawyers said at the time he was unable to pay, and have petitioned the court to allow him to delay payment while he appeals
His lawyers said at the time he was unable to pay, and have petitioned the court to allow him to delay payment while he appeals.
Lane’s order allowed Giuliani to challenge the size of the Georgia verdict, but not to pursue a full appeal. If Giuliani decides to appeal the Georgia defamation ruling, he must return to bankruptcy court for further approval.
Giuliani’s political adviser Ted Goodman told DailyMail.com: ‘We very much appreciate the judge’s expeditious consideration of this matter and look forward to proceeding accordingly.’
The once-lauded mayor filed for bankruptcy in New York in December, with staggering debts of $153 million owed to creditors including two Georgia election workers he defamed over the 2020 election result, lawyers, the IRS and Hunter Biden.
In August, Giuliani admitted having ‘financial problems’ as he battled multiple court cases and said he didn’t have enough money to defend himself.
He filed his petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, court documents showed.
In the filing, Giuliani said he had between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities and $1 million to $10 million in assets.
The filing listed Hunter Biden as one of his creditors, without specifying the amount Giuliani owed him.
In September, Hunter Biden sued Giuliani, accusing the former mayor of violating his privacy over data allegedly taken from his infamous laptop.
Giuliani also listed owing at least $700,000 to the Internal Revenue Service and more than $260,000 to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
The former New York City mayor is being sued by former aide Noelle Dunphy, who alleges he coerced her into sex while she worked for him between 2019 and 2021 and owes her nearly $2 million in unpaid wages.
The once-lauded mayor filed for bankruptcy in New York in December, with staggering debts of $153 million owed to creditors including two Georgia election workers he defamed over the 2020 election result, lawyers, the IRS and Hunter Biden
New filings lodged on Thursday show how Giuliani, 79, is seeking to litigate the case and have it dismissed.
In response to Dunphy’s claims, Giuliani’s political adviser Ted Goodman told DailyMail.com: ‘Ms. Dunphy has a documented history of making harassment claims against men for the purpose of making money, which has been reported in-part by the New York Post.
‘Ms. Dunphy’s history of this sort of behavior is well documented and available through public records, and I look forward to the Independent including Ms. Dunphy’s documented history of this sort of behavior.’
Meanwhile, Dunphy has already filed graphic transcripts allegedly describing recordings of his unwanted advances, including the vulgar remark ‘Your t*ts belong to me.’
Giuliani denies the claims and says the two were in a consensual relationship and said the suit is filled with exaggerations and salacious details ‘to create a media frenzy.’