Rudy Giuliani settles defamation case with electoral staff

BBC.com

Rudy Giuliani has reached a tentative settlement with two former election workers who won $148m (£120m) in damages after they successfully sued him for defamation over false election fraud claims.
Ms Moss and Ms Freeman said in a statement that they had agreed to allow him to keep the belongings in exchange for “compensation and his promise not to ever defame us”.
The 80-year-old had been ordered to turn over a host of belongings to pay off the $148m he owed Ms Moss and Ms Freeman.
He was held in contempt of court twice last week, first for not complying with requests to provide information about his assets, and a second time for making repeated defamatory statements about Ms Moss and Ms Freeman.
His false statements led to death threats and harassment for Ms Moss and Ms Freeman, who testified before a US House of Representatives committee investigating the 6 January Capitol attack.

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After two former election workers successfully sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over false allegations of election fraud, they were awarded $148 million (£120 million) in damages. The two parties have reached a tentative settlement.

Giuliani’s attorney told a judge in New York in a letter that his client had made an agreement with Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, that would avoid a trial to pay off his debt.

Thursday was the scheduled court appearance for the former attorney for President-elect Donald Trump. After he was absent for several hours, the deal was declared.

In a post on X, Giuliani stated that the deal would allow him to retain “all of my personal belongings” as well as his homes in Florida and New York.

According to a statement from Ms. Moss and Ms. Freeman, they had consented to let him keep the possessions in return for “compensation and his promise not to ever defame us”.

Today marks a significant turning point in our journey. “We have come to a consensus and can now proceed with our lives,” the women said in a statement, referring to the previous four years as “a living nightmare.”.

In contrast, the former mayor of New York City stated that there was no “admission of liability or wrongdoing” in the settlement.

He went on to say, “No one deserves to be the target of threats, harassment, or intimidation.”. “This entire incident was regrettable. The Plaintiffs and I have made a commitment to never speak negatively about one another, and I encourage others to follow suit. “.”.

Giuiliani and the women did not share the specifics of the settlement.

In order to pay the $148 million he owed Ms. Moss and Ms. Freeman, the 80-year-old was ordered to surrender a variety of possessions. The items included an autographed Joe DiMaggio baseball jersey, his $6 million Manhattan apartment, a Mercedes Benz that was once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, and more than a dozen high-end timepieces.

Trump’s former lawyer was on trial Thursday to determine whether he also had to turn over the keys to his condo in West Palm Beach, Florida, and his collection of New York Yankees World Series rings, which he claimed he had given to his son.

Shortly after being ordered to pay the former election workers, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy; however, the case was dismissed, hence denying him any protection from creditors.

Giuliani had opposed attempts to retrieve some of the items he owed the women, saying he had no idea where some of them were.

Last week, he was found in contempt of court twice: once for repeatedly making disparaging remarks about Ms. Moss and Ms. Freeman, and again for failing to comply with requests for information about his assets.

A federal judge threatened to put Giuliani in jail if he continued to make untrue statements about them.

Several Trump supporters, including Giuliani, promoted the untrue allegations of fraud in an attempt to reverse Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden. The women who worked as poll workers in the 2020 election were accused by him of committing ballot fraud.

Ms. Moss and Ms. Freeman, who testified before a US House of Representatives committee looking into the Capitol attack on January 6, were harassed and threatened with death as a result of his false statements. Due to threats, some of which were racist, the two claimed they had been forced into hiding.

Giuliani, a Republican, was elected mayor of New York City for the first time in 1993 and was in office when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001. He became an adviser to Trump after running for president in 2008.

In Georgia, Giuliani is still being charged with trying to reverse Trump’s election defeat, but the case has been on hold since the removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

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