Rudy Giuliani Resolves Huge Defamation Judgment

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has satisfied the $148 million defamation judgment awarded to Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, ending a contentious legal battle while allowing him to retain his Florida condominium and prized World Series rings.

Key Takeaways

Rudy Giuliani has satisfied a $148 million defamation judgment involving Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss through a private settlement.
The lawsuit stemmed from Giuliani’s false claims against the election workers regarding the 2020 election.
The settlement allows Giuliani to keep his Florida condo and Yankees World Series memorabilia while agreeing not to further defame the election workers.
Federal judges held Giuliani in contempt twice during the legal proceedings for failing to disclose assets and continuing defamatory statements.
While the terms of the compensation remain undisclosed, Giuliani’s longstanding legal troubles included bankruptcy proceedings that were dismissed due to his evasiveness about assets.

The Defamation Case Origins

The legal dispute began in December 2021 when Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, mother and daughter election workers from Fulton County, Georgia, filed a defamation lawsuit against Giuliani. The suit claimed that Giuliani had made false allegations against the election workers related to the 2020 election. A federal jury ultimately found Giuliani liable for defamation, civil conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, resulting in the $148 million judgment delivered in December 2023.

Throughout the proceedings, Giuliani faced multiple setbacks, including being held in contempt twice by federal judges. These contempt rulings came after he failed to surrender possessions as ordered and continued making defamatory statements about the election workers, despite court directives to cease such behavior. The case represented just one of several legal challenges Giuliani has encountered since the 2020 election.

Settlement Details

The settlement agreement, approved by Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan federal court, allowed Giuliani to keep his Florida condominium and New York Yankees World Series rings. This resolution came after months of litigation over which of Giuliani’s properties and belongings would be surrendered as part of the judgment. The agreement prevented a bench trial that could have forced Giuliani to relinquish these valuable possessions, which he had fought vigorously to retain.

While the specific terms of the compensation remain undisclosed, the settlement occurred shortly after a social media post from Donald Trump reportedly raised approximately $169,000 for Giuliani. Neither Giuliani’s attorneys nor representatives for Freeman and Moss have commented on whether this fundraising effort or other external assistance contributed to satisfying the judgment. Both parties remained tight-lipped following the court’s dismissal of the case.

Broader Legal Context

Giuliani’s legal troubles extend beyond this defamation case. The former New York City mayor has been disbarred in both New York and Washington D.C. due to his efforts supporting Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. These disbarments represented a significant fall for a man once celebrated as “America’s Mayor” following his leadership after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Giuliani had previously filed for bankruptcy protection in an attempt to shield his assets from the judgment, but that case was dismissed after the court found him evasive about his financial situation. The settlement agreement includes Giuliani’s commitment not to defame the election workers in the future, though notably, it does not contain an admission of guilt regarding his previous statements about them.

The resolution marks the end of a chapter in Giuliani’s ongoing legal battles, though he still faces other legal challenges related to his post-election activities in 2020. For Freeman and Moss, the settlement concludes a traumatic period during which they reported receiving death threats and harassment following Giuliani’s accusations about their work during the presidential election in Georgia, a key battleground state.