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Topline
Rudy Giuliani has been ordered to begin paying the $148 million he owes to two former Georgia election workers who sued him over defamation claims, after the court Wednesday sided with a request from the workers, who argued Giuliani would not have the money to pay them when the 30-day stay on the payouts was lifted.
Giuliani was also ordered to pay more than $130,000 in attorneys fees in the case (AP Photo/Jose … [+]
Key Facts
Giuliani, who is already strapped for cash, will no longer have the 30-day stay that would have delayed his payments to the workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss.
In their request to dissolve the stay, Freeman and Moss said Giuliani had already proven himself an unwilling and uncooperative litigant, arguing that in addition to his financial situation, there was a risk he’d use the 30 days to “alienate or dissipate what assets are available to satisfy even a small portion” of the $148 million.
U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell agreed with Freeman and Moss’ points, noting in her decision that Giuliani “cannot and does not dispute” his disregard for the court-ordered payments he was instructed to pay for Freeman and Moss’ attorney’s fees and the costs in connection with the workers’ discovery motions.
Howell added that in the defamation case, Giuliani had an “ample record” of efforts meant to conceal or hide financial assets by failing to comply with discovery requests that included requests for his financial information.
Giuliani’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
The $148 million owed to Freeman and Moss consists of more than $33 million in damages for defamation, $40 million for emotional distress and $75 million in punitive damages. Giuliani, who has maintained innocence despite being held liable for defaming the workers, has been mixed up in a combination of legal and financial woes that have culminated in debts so significant that his attorney, Joe Sibley, said in opening arguments for the defamation trial that imposing damages against Giuliani would amount to the “civil equivalent of the death penalty.” Giuliani owes more than $500,000 in unpaid taxes and is still facing 13 criminal counts in Fulton County, Georgia, where he was indicted over his involvement in aiding former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges and does not yet have a trial date.
Further Reading
Rudy Giuliani Can Write Off $148 Million Verdict While Plaintiffs Pay Tax On 100% (Forbes)
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