The former mayor of New York and former Republican President Donald Trump's lawyer has declared bankruptcy days after the US Justice ordered him to pay $148 million in compensation to two Georgia election workers, whom he accused of participating in a alleged electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani also faces criminal charges in Georgia for the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
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Up to his neck in debt, Rudy Giuliani is looking for time to appeal the decision of the New York federal court, as explained by his political advisor, Ted Goodman, who classified the action of the former mayor of New York as a decision “that should not surprise anyone.”
“No person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Giuliani could pay such a large punitive amount,” Goodman said in a statement, adding that filing for bankruptcy would give Giuliani time to “bring transparency to his finances” and ensure that “everyone creditors receive equitable and fair treatment” in the process.
During his session before the New York Bankruptcy Court, Rudy Giuliani revealed that he currently has debts of between 100 to 500 million dollars, including a fiscal deficit of around 1 million dollars and several million-dollar accounts with law firms that They have defended him in their multiple active lawsuits. Giuliani only acknowledged having assets of between one and ten million dollars.
Although US law gives all those who declare bankruptcy the ability to reorganize their debts and even eliminate them, Giuliani would not be saved from paying compensation to the Georgia workers who sued him for defamation.
The case of Moss and Freeman v. Giuliani
On December 15, a federal judge ruled in favor of Wandrea 'Shaye' Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who were election officials in the state of Georgia in 2020, after they sued Rudy Giuliani for defaming them with false accusations. about having participated in an electoral plot against former President Donald Trump, who was competing for the Presidency with the current US president, Joe Biden.
The judge ordered that the compensation payments begin immediately, given the risk that the 'mayor of the United States', as Giuliani was nicknamed after being mayor of New York during the attacks of September 11, 2001, would “hide” their assets.
Moss and Freeman's defense rules out any default situation after Giuliani filed for bankruptcy.
“This move is not surprising, and will not satisfy Mr. Giuliani's debt to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss,” said his lawyer, Michael Gottileb. The plaintiffs initiated another legal process against Trump's former lawyer, alleging that the defendant has continued to spread lies about them, even though Giuliani accepted in court that all of his accusations were false.
A long list of lawsuits against Giuliani
Rudolph Giuliani, considered the person of the year by TIMES magazine in 2001 and former presidential candidate of the Republican Party in 2008, is mired in the middle of multiple legal scandals for his actions in relation to the attack on the Capitol in January 2021, in addition to criminal cases for his tireless defense of the figure of Donald Trump.
Among the creditors that Giuliani presented in his bankruptcy filing is Hunter Biden, son of the US president, who sued the controversial lawyer, now disbarred in New York, for violating his privacy, accusing him of having extracted information from his personal computer.
His criminal proceedings also include the one related to the attack on the Capitol, since the Georgia prosecutor's office has included Giuliani, along with Donald Trump, among those accused of “electoral subversion” in 2020. In addition, one of his former employees, Noelle Dunphy , denounced Giuliani for sexual harassment and non-payment of his salary. The former New York mayor has denied all accusations.
Although Giuliani has pleaded innocent in all his trials, the US Justice Department continues to try to prove his guilt, affecting both his political credibility and his personal finances.
With AP, Reuters and local media
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